Who invented lax

The significance of the wooden stick is evidenced by a longstanding Haudenosaunee tradition that a baby boy is gifted his first stick upon birth. To this day, a significant proportion of Haudenosaunee baby boys sleep in their cradles next to a small wooden stick.

The traditional wooden stick is also brought along to those going on to the afterlife; many Haudenosaunee believe that being buried with their favorite stick allows them to be ready to play with their ancestors in the most beautiful and never-ending game when they greet the Creator.

For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is a gift from the Creator, to be played for His enjoyment as a medicine game that heals and strengthens individuals, families, and communities. Specific medicine games continue to play an important role in contemporary Haudenosaunee community life.

An individual player may call for a medicine game to bring blessings to a community or particular person. Many players will ask the spirit of an animal for guidance, so the he may have the eyes of the hawk, the toughness of a turtle, or the agility of a deer.

Thus, while lacrosse is a sport pursued by non-Native players around the world, it is still a medicine game imbued with a sacred significance and special powers. Lacrosse also is viewed as a cultural legacy that succeeds in teaching the lessons of how to live a good life. The game demands teamwork, leadership, commitment, sacrifice, and physical prowess — virtues that benefit the Haudenosaunee on and off the playing field. The game serves as the bond that brings the Haudenosaunee together as individuals and nations and, as such, it is used for community advancement.

Finally, for the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is an expression of Native sovereignty. They did, and were roundly defeated by the Canadian national team. This loss, while disappointing, mobilized the Haudenosaunee to take a stand on a global level.

Team members and coaches decided that, as the originators of the game and as citizens of the Iroquois Confederacy, they would participate in international field lacrosse competitions and recapture their status as the best lacrosse players in the world.

More importantly, they were determined that their participation should stand as a symbol of their sovereignty.

With the sanction of the Haudenosaunee Grand Council of Chiefs, a dedicated group of Haudenosaunee citizens organized the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team to represent the confederacy in international competition. Today, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team is the only Native national sports team in international competition. The Team, which has won numerous medals and awards, travels overseas using Haudenosaunee passports, and in so doing, has successfully engaged state departments, embassies, and consulates around the work in recognizing the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and its member nations.

As players, coaches, officials, fans, and supporters, we can learn a great deal from studying these values. By understanding and, ultimately, embracing these values, we ensure that lacrosse is played in the right spirit, and the game is made stronger.

The game of lacrosse requires diverse gifts. From an individual perspective, it requires skill, athleticism, intelligence, and perseverance. From a team perspective, it requires offense, defense, goalkeeping, gaining possession, and transition. Each of these requirements has many constituent elements, and no one single type of player can cover all of these elements.

As a result, every player has something to offer, and a successful lacrosse team is an effective combination of the diverse talents of its individual players. The Haudenosaunee story about the first lacrosse game between the animals and the birds is also a story about inclusion and the coordination of unique talents.

Whether a person is fast, slow, strong, weak, or embodies a variety of characteristics, everyone has something valuable to contribute, and, therefore, we have a collective obligation to make the game as diverse and inclusive as possible. For the Haudenosaunee, the game is made stronger when we bring diverse talents together — which, indeed, provides valuable guidance for those who want to grow the game, especially at the youth level.

The game of lacrosse requires the hard work of individual and team preparation. At the core of individual preparation are caring for your stick and equipment, caring for your body, and caring for your mind. In some Native communities, young children learn to value the lacrosse stick and what it represents long before they develop the skills to use it. The high-maintenance and fickle nature of the traditional wooden sticks reinforces the need to care for the stick and equipment.

By its nature, lacrosse is meant to be played hard, and proper preparation and conditioning of the body is critical. Also by its nature, lacrosse is meant to be played with the right spirit, and proper preparation of the mind is equally important. Great lacrosse and great fulfillment is made possible when the hard work of preparation and the right mindset come together to produce a hard-fought game.

The game of lacrosse is played best when it reflects creativity and innovation. That lacrosse is an important platform for creative expression among Native players is evidenced by an endless variety of innovative stick skills, hidden ball tricks, and pick-up game formats. The beauty and effectiveness of these inventions is honed by much individual and collective repetition. The importance of innovation in the game of lacrosse is reflected in the first game between the winged birds and the four-legged creatures.

By thinking creativity, the birds added valuable members to their team. This ancient lesson teaches us that the game is meant to be played creatively, and this type of thinking not only keeps the game exciting but also helps explain the prowess of Haudenosaunee players. The game of lacrosse requires integrity. For centuries, the Haudenosaunee have used lacrosse games — medicine games — as pathways to healing and personal and communal transformation.

It is in this spirit, along with the understanding that we are all brothers and sisters in lacrosse, that we show our respect by shaking hands and giving sincere thanks after a well-played game. That's awesome, Maryn! It sounds like you've practiced a great deal to get to be so good! S Oct 13, I've played lacrosse and it's so much fun. Lax is easier than it seems but I've just played girls lax. I don't know about boys. Oct 13, Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder, S!

We're glad to hear from you! Oct 5, Hi, Wonder Friend! Thanks for sending such an enthusiastic greeting! Grant Doby Oct 4, Did you know lacrosse was first in the Olympics in ?

I'm kind of surprised you had an article about this but I guess this sport does need ALOT more recognition. I feel like this is really the first true American sport. Sep 23, Thanks for sharing what you found interesting, will! Hi, bryson! No, you can't beat people while playing lacrosse and we're glad of that! Sep 19, Ava May 20, A lacrosse stick is not called a crosse it's called a shaft and I know because I play lacrosse.

May 20, Thanks for sharing the additional information, Ava! That's an important fact to know! Lily Morita May 19, Lacrosse isn't too popular by where I live. So it is nice to have a kid friendly website so I can show my friends all about my favorite sport, Lacrosse. Jun 20, Hi, demon! Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis! Lacrosse is my favorite sport. And most of my friends don't know much about so I can't wait to show them this! They didn't believe me when I said it was the fastest sport on two feet but now I can prove them wrong!

We're glad you had so much fun exploring this Wonder, Lily! Thanks for stopping by! Junior May 19, That's super cool, Junior! We agree, mj! Paul Rabil99 Fan May 19, Ive played this sport for 4 years and I really like this sport. Goalie and defender is my two positions. Anyway thanks so much for putting this article out Wonderopolis.

Two very important positions! Thanks for sharing your connection! I play Lacrosse too. I play in a league. Its fun. That sounds like lots of fun, kristy! We're glad you liked this Wonder! Gonzalez McTaco Returns May 18, Calvin Paul May 19, There's a lot of sports!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? May 18, Very true, Gonzalez! We hope you learned more about it from this Wonder! Itzia and Robert May 18, I can believe that the popular sports are football and baseball even basketball but I would like to know how to play Lacrosse.

Timothy May 18, Lacrosse is a game that has poles and a net like basket and I would like to learn lacrosse. That would be fun, Timothy! We're glad you learned a lot about Lacrosse! Jayden and Dillon May 18, We didn't know that Lacrosse was invented in the 15th century. Also that was a long time ago. Natalie May 18, Absolutely, Natalie! We hope you share this Wonder with them! Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis!

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Share results. Play Again Quit. Next Question. See your results. Share Results. Retake The Quiz. Be the first to know! Share with the World Tell everybody about Wonderopolis and its wonders. Share Wonderopolis. In a lithograph by artist George Catlin, he shows Indigenous lacrosse players holding sticks made of wood with sinew nets at the top. Public Domain. Lacrosse was originally played with a wooden ball, which was upgraded to a ball made of deerskin and stuffed with fur.

The wooden sticks were topped with a net made of deer sinew. In a painting by George Catlin, he shows how a Choctaw lacrosse game in had hundreds of players on the field at the same time. Instead of a ten-player team playing a one-hour game, originally there was no set number of players. Rumour has it there were games where up to 1, players from many villages would participate over a period of many days.

The field length changed to suit whatever area was available. Instead of the current length of metres, the field could be metres or many kilometres long. Lacrosse games were huge events! Although women didn't participate in these games, they did have their own version called amtahcha , which had shorter sticks. Lacrosse isn't just a cool sport, it's also a very important part of Indigenous culture. According to an Ojibwa legend — Why Birds go South in Winter — lacrosse also plays a special role in nature.

The legend goes like this:. Long ago, there was only summer.