Today, many western sports such as lacrosse, rodeo and long-distance running are deeply rooted in Native American cultures. As European settlers adopted and reshaped these sports, they became widespread across the United States. However, Native American communities continue to honor and value these games, playing them according to their original styles.
Lacrosse is considered North America’s oldest organized sport, with documentation going back to the 17th century. However, many believe it dates all the way back to the 12th century, when it was played by the Haudenosaunee people in what is now Troy, New York, and areas in Canada bordering the state. Due to the sport’s adoption by Europeans, it is now widely associated with wealth, leading many to forget its Native roots.
Colorado State University Associate Teaching Professor Mike Mansfield’s current research focus — the role sports play in Black communities — has led him to observe historical trends in sports.
“It definitely became a rich kids’ game,” Mansfield said. “Poor kids didn’t play lacrosse, (and) I think it will always have that association.”
Mansfield watched the Choctaw people play in Mississippi and witnessed firsthand the difference between the commercialized lacrosse many know now and the one that Indigenous peoples play within their communities.
“It’s fun to watch,” Mansfield said. “Once you see it, you kind of get it. They hit each other so hard, blood’s flying (and) people got hurt. You know, I can see where people would get killed doing it.”
One key difference between the two variations is the physicality of the game. For Indigenous communities, lacrosse was more than a game — it was a way to resolve conflicts.
Having studied American history extensively with a concentration on American sports history, CSU history department Chair Robert Gudmestad has gathered insights into the intertwined nature of conflict and sports.
“One description of lacrosse that was relatively common amongst the different tribal groups was ‘little brother of war,'” Gudmestad said. “That’s a literal translation, and that meant a couple of different things. Two different groups, if they had a dispute sometimes, they’d settle it by a lacrosse game rather than war.”
While lacrosse was played much more brutally, it was also a display of strength. Despite it being a form of conflict resolution, sometimes deaths still occured.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how important stickball was to the culture,” Mansfield said. “Because if a young man could play stickball, you were a warrior.”
Early Native Americans played the game barefoot with no equipment and a loose set of rules.
“You are doing a lot of the same things you do either in war or hunting,” Gudmestad said. “You need stamina. You need power and hand-eye coordination.”
Additionally, the game held deep spiritual meaning, being used for ceremonial purposes and as a way to strengthen community bonds.
“Lacrosse was sometimes associated with religious rituals, and those who were competing in the lacrosse game believe that their best effort was kind of their gift to the Creator,” Gudmestad said. “If they worked hard and played hard, it was an expression of devotion to the Creator, and Indigenous people believe that all things came from the Creator.”
Upon European settlers’ first encounter in North America in the 16th century, French Jesuit missionaries deemed the sport as too aggressive.
“Initially, my understanding (was) they saw it as too brutal, but they realized that sport was a good way to get into the culture but recognized its importance.” Mansfield said.
The Jesuit missionaries’ primary goal was to convert the Indigenous population to Christianity. They then shifted their focus on the sport and established more set rules, making the game into what the modern world knows today and coining the term “lacrosse.”
“French men who were watching the games thought that the stick looked like a ceremonial stick that’s used in the Catholic Church; that’s why ‘la cross’ or ‘the cross’ got its name.” Gudmestad said.
Despite many differences from the original game, there are still elements of Indigenous culture that remain — the main one being the stick that is used.
“(In) many tribal groups, the ball that they used was deer hide stuffed with hair of some kind,” Gudmestad said. “And then the fact you’re scoring a goal also remains from the original game.”
As the sport grew and spread across North America, the gear material changed. The use of titanium and composite materials led to sticks that were lighter yet stronger, allowing for faster play and more precise control.
As of now, the Indigenous roots of lacrosse are gaining wider recognition. Centuries later, the sport is still played within Indigenous communities and remains deeply significant.
“For Indigenous peoples, lacrosse is more than a game,” Duke University Professor Larissa Soares Carneiro said in a Duke Today article about the roots of lacrosse. “It’s sacred. It’s a ceremony. It’s a game that can heal. It’s medicine. Lacrosse celebrates and entertains the Creator.”
Reach Yoleni Paulo at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @RMCollegianSpts.
