Native American Lacrosse was often played on a stretch of land up to two miles long with sticks between three to five feet long made of wood and animal skin. A game could include between one hundred or one thousand players. Some game could even include whole tribes. Their equipment was the use of a netted racquet with which to pick the ball off the ground, throw, catch and convey it into or past a goal to score a point. The cardinal rule in all varieties of Lacrosse was that the ball, with few exceptions must not be touched with the hands. Lacrosse was started by the Native American Indians, but was originally known as stickball. The game was initially played in the St. Lawrence Valley area by the Algonquian Tribe and they were followed by other tribes in the eastern half of Northern America, and the western Great Lakes. 

There is actually a quote from one of the Native American Tribe players saying “The feeling, the thrill, the moment I caught that ball with my racquet. Being ahead of hundreds of people, I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s like I was the center of attention for one second and that’s something i haven’t felt in a long time.” Native Americans used this sport as not just entertainment but also as a job and physical activity so that they would stay in shape. We have also interviewed a Native American talking about the length of the game..”These games could take the breath out of a bear, games could last days or weeks or months even.” As you can tell these game are not for the faint of heart, a serious game with players who would not stop could even last a entire season. These games could go from tribes playing for resources, 100 to 1000 men playing in a plain field and goals could range from five hundred yards to six miles. Rules were decided the day before the game, there was no out of bounds other than that the ball must not be touched with the hands. At first they would select large rocks or trees as the goals, but later on they would use wooden posts.

And with music, there will always be dancing. At the festivals most dances we do are group based, and your role in the dance is based on your role in society. The way we normally dance is by impersonating spirits and making odd noises. The reason we dance like this is to honor our ancestors and sometimes even pray. A wise lady named Marijo Moore once said, “To dance is to pray, to pray is to heal, to heal is to give, to give is to live, to live is to dance.”

Early 1700’s in North America is a pretty bad place to be a Native American. The white people are always taking our land, enslaving, even killing us, but we have a quote that keeps us going,”To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” And these festivals definitely make it easier to do so.

—Joy Harjo (Mvskoke) Poet and Musician, Oklahoma

     Natives haven’t been heard but they have been seen it is time that people stop ignoring Natives and welcome them to open arms they have created many things that we use now today people use for markets to get money,but people need to know there family history about the culture of how they lived in the new world people have been calling home for centuries.Native Americans blessings As old Natives will say “May you have the strength of eagles wings,the faith and courage to fly to new heights and wisdom of the universe to carry you there”. But forever the History of Natives will say “The holy land is everywhere” “whenever forests have not been  mowed down wherever the animals is released in their quiet protections,wherever the earth is not bereft of four footed life”.