Objects – teachanyclass.org

Introduction

Long before European arrival in North America, Indigenous peoples were playing a game with wooden sticks and a leather ball. Different nations had their own versions. The Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) called it baaga'adowewin. The Cherokee called it stickball. Among the Haudenosaunee — also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later Tuscarora nations — it was called Tewaarathon, the Little Brother of War. The Haudenosaunee version of the game has become the international form of what is now called lacrosse. The stick is the central object. Traditional Haudenosaunee sticks are made from a single piece of hickory wood, carved and steam-bent into shape over weeks of work. The head curves outward and back, and is strung with deer-hide leather to form a pocket that holds the ball. The whole stick is light, balanced, and beautifully made. Skilled carvers make sticks that last decades and become almost extensions of the player's body. For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is not just a sport. It is the Creator's Game — given by the Creator to the people, played for healing, for community renewal, for honouring the spirits, and yes, for fun. Players sometimes carry their sticks to the grave, buried with them so they can keep playing in the next world. Major events in the life of the community might be marked by lacrosse games. The game has religious meaning, social meaning, and political meaning all at once. In 1867, a Canadian dentist named William George Beers wrote the first set of formal rules for what he called 'the national game of Canada'. He had learned the game from Haudenosaunee players. His rules became the basis of modern field lacrosse. The sport spread from Canada and the United States to many other countries. Today, an estimated 2 million people worldwide play lacrosse. And here is where the story becomes especially interesting. The Haudenosaunee have their own national lacrosse team — the Haudenosaunee Nationals. They compete at the highest international level. They travel on Haudenosaunee passports, not American or Canadian. This is one of the very few sports anywhere in the world where an Indigenous nation has formal international standing. The team itself is an act of sovereignty. This lesson asks how the lacrosse stick is made, what the game means in Haudenosaunee tradition, and how playing the Creator's Game on the world stage has become a way of keeping Indigenous nationhood alive.

The object

Origin: North America. Lacrosse was played by many Indigenous nations long before European arrival, including the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), the Cherokee, the Choctaw, and many others. The Haudenosaunee form is the most well-known internationally.
Period: At least 1,000 years and likely much older. Modern field lacrosse rules were codified by Canadian dentist William George Beers in 1867, drawing on the Haudenosaunee game. The Haudenosaunee Nationals competed in international championship lacrosse from the 1980s onwards.
Made of: Traditional Haudenosaunee sticks are made from a single piece of hickory wood, steam-bent into shape, then strung with deer-hide or rawhide to form the pocket. Modern sticks for international play often use synthetic materials.
Size: Traditional Haudenosaunee sticks are usually 90 to 120 cm long. Different positions in the modern game use different stick lengths — short sticks for attack, longer sticks for defence, very long sticks for goalies.
Number of objects: Many millions of lacrosse sticks are in use today. Major museums hold significant collections of historical Haudenosaunee sticks. Modern stick-makers — including some from the Haudenosaunee community — continue to make traditional wooden sticks alongside the dominant modern synthetic versions.
Where it is now: Played by an estimated 2 million people worldwide. Major museum collections at the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian), the Royal Ontario Museum, the Iroquois Indian Museum in New York, and many others. The Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team competes at the highest international levels.

Before you teach this — reflect

Questions for you

Lacrosse is a real Haudenosaunee tradition with deep religious meaning. How will you teach this with the same respect you would give to any major religious practice?
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a real existing political entity, not just a historical 'tribe'. How will you keep this in the present tense?
Lacrosse stick craft is real engineering — careful work in wood. How will you honour both the sacred and the technical aspects?

Common student difficulties — tick any you have noticed

My students may not know that the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy is a real political alliance of six Indigenous nations, with continuous existence for over 800 years.
My students may not know that lacrosse was played by many Indigenous North American peoples long before European arrival.
My students may not know that for the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is the Creator's Game with deep religious and social meaning.
My students may not know that the Haudenosaunee Nationals team competes at the highest international level using their own passports — a major statement of sovereignty.
My students may not know that traditional wooden lacrosse sticks are made by skilled carvers and can take weeks to complete.
My students may need help with the difference between 'sport' and 'ceremony' — for the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is both at once.

Discovery sequence

1

Lacrosse is one of the oldest team sports played in North America. Different Indigenous nations had their own versions, with their own rules, their own stick designs, and their own meanings. The game was played from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. The Haudenosaunee version of the game is what most people today recognise as 'lacrosse'. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy — made up of six nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later Tuscarora — has been a political alliance for at least 800 years. The Confederacy's lands span what are now parts of New York state, Pennsylvania, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Haudenosaunee called the game Tewaarathon. The name means 'Little Brother of War' — the game was a peaceful way to settle disputes that might otherwise lead to fighting. Two villages with a disagreement could play a great game, sometimes with hundreds of players, sometimes lasting days. The winner of the game won the dispute. Why might a community develop a game with such serious purpose?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

Because games can do work that rules and arguments cannot. A lacrosse game between two villages was a way to express conflict without killing. Players could hit each other hard, push each other, compete fiercely — but at the end, they walked off the field as part of one shared tradition. The dispute was settled. Friendships were possible again. Many cultures have used games this way. The Olympic Games of ancient Greece had similar functions. Football matches between rival cities in medieval Europe were sometimes serious enough to cause fights, but were also a release valve. The Mesoamerican ballgame was sometimes used to settle major political disputes. The Haudenosaunee Tewaarathon is one of the world's clearest examples of game-as-diplomacy. This is also part of why the Haudenosaunee see lacrosse as more than entertainment. It is woven into the political and religious fabric of the Confederacy. Students should see that 'sport' is not always separate from 'serious' matters. In Haudenosaunee tradition, the lacrosse field can be where the most serious work of community happens. End the discovery on this idea of game-as-serious.

2

The traditional Haudenosaunee lacrosse stick is a piece of careful craft. Master stick-makers select hickory wood — strong, flexible, fine-grained. They cut a long slim piece, then steam it to make it bendable. The end of the stick is bent into a curved hook, which becomes the head. The stick is dried in this shape over weeks. Once the wood holds its curve, the maker cuts the inside of the head and strings it with deer-hide or rawhide leather. The strings cross back and forth, forming the pocket that catches and throws the ball. A skilled stick-maker takes weeks per stick. The wood must be the right age and the right cut. The bending must be done at the right speed. The stringing must be tight enough to hold a ball but loose enough to release it cleanly. Different positions on the field need different stick designs — short sticks for attackers, longer sticks for defenders, very long sticks for goalies. Master stick-makers from Haudenosaunee communities are sought after worldwide. Some sticks are now museum objects, made decades ago by famous makers like the Patterson family on the Tuscarora reservation, or members of the Akwesasne Mohawk community. Why might one piece of sports equipment be made with so much care?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

Because the stick is more than equipment. For the Haudenosaunee, the stick is a sacred object. Players sometimes carry the same stick for their whole career. The stick is buried with the player when they die so they can keep playing in the next world. A new player might receive their first stick from an elder, with blessings and instructions about how to honour it. The careful craft is part of the sacredness. A stick made carelessly cannot do the work of a sacred object. Other cultures have similar relationships with specific objects. A musician's instrument. A craftsman's tools. A scholar's book. The object becomes an extension of the person, with care and meaning built into every part. The lacrosse stick is one of the clearest cases. Students should see that 'sports equipment' is not always just disposable gear. In some traditions, it is family heirloom, religious object, and craft achievement all at once. The Haudenosaunee lacrosse stick is one of the world's most refined examples.

3

In 1867, a Canadian dentist named William George Beers published the first set of formal written rules for what he called 'the national game of Canada'. He had learned the game from Haudenosaunee players around Montreal. He simplified the game, standardised the field size, set the number of players, and named it 'lacrosse' (from the French 'la crosse', the stick). Beers's rules became the basis of modern field lacrosse. The sport spread from Canada and the United States to England, where it was played at universities like Oxford. From there it spread to other Commonwealth countries. By the late 20th century, lacrosse was played in many countries. But the Haudenosaunee continued to play their own version too. Box lacrosse — a faster, indoor version — was developed in Canadian arenas in the 1930s and is still especially popular among the Haudenosaunee. Some Haudenosaunee players are world-class. The Thompson brothers from the Onondaga Nation — Lyle, Miles, and Jeremy — are among the best lacrosse players of the modern era. Lyle Thompson has been called by some 'the greatest lacrosse player ever'. Why might a game cross between cultures?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

Because games are good. A well-designed game with clear rules, fast action, and athletic skill will spread to anyone who watches. Lacrosse has the speed of basketball, the contact of rugby, the stick skills of hockey, and a long history. Once the game was codified by Beers in 1867, it could be taught to anyone — and it was. Many sports have similar histories. Football (both kinds) spread from Britain to the world. Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith and is now global. Cricket spread from England across the Commonwealth. Each game found audiences far from its origin. Lacrosse spread from North American Indigenous origins to the wider world. The interesting question is what gets kept and what gets lost when a game crosses cultures. Modern field lacrosse is recognisably descended from Haudenosaunee Tewaarathon, but it is not the same game. Faster. More structured. Less spiritually meaningful. The Haudenosaunee continue to play their own versions alongside the international form. Students should see that 'spreading a game' often means simplifying it, standardising it, and losing some of its original meaning. The original meaning continues somewhere — but not always in the international form. The Haudenosaunee Creator's Game continues; international field lacrosse exists alongside it.

4

The Haudenosaunee have their own national lacrosse team — the Haudenosaunee Nationals (formerly called the Iroquois Nationals). They are recognised as a national team by the international federation that governs lacrosse, World Lacrosse. They compete at the World Lacrosse Championships every four years. They have won bronze medals. They are usually one of the top teams in the world. The team is an act of sovereignty. Players travel on Haudenosaunee passports — documents issued by the Confederacy, not by the United States or Canada. They sing the Haudenosaunee national anthem. They play under the Haudenosaunee flag. They are often the only sovereign Indigenous team in major international sport. The arrangement has caused political controversy. In 2010, the British government refused to accept Haudenosaunee passports for entry to a tournament in Manchester. The team was nearly blocked from competing. International pressure and last-minute diplomatic work resolved the issue, but only just. The team has had similar challenges in other countries. In 2018, the Haudenosaunee won a major political victory: they were recognised as a 'World Sport Federation' nation by World Lacrosse, with full equal status alongside the United States, Canada, and other nation-states. Their team represented one of the highest-profile examples of Indigenous sovereignty in modern international sport. What does this mean?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

That sovereignty can be expressed through sport. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy has been working to maintain its political existence for centuries. Not as a 'tribe' or a 'community' but as a sovereign nation. The Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team is one of the clearest contemporary expressions of this sovereignty. When the team enters a stadium under its own flag, sings its own anthem, and competes against the United States, Canada, Australia, and other nation-states, it is making a political statement: we are a nation; we have always been here; we will continue. Sport gives the political claim a concrete form. The team also produces real Indigenous excellence — Haudenosaunee players are often among the best in the world, on the world's best team. The achievement is athletic; the meaning is political. Other Indigenous communities have learned from this approach. There are growing efforts to have Indigenous teams in other sports — Maori rugby, Inuit hockey, Sami football. The Haudenosaunee Nationals are the clearest precedent. Students should see that 'sovereignty' is not always something abstract. Sometimes it is a team running onto a field with a stick in hand. The Creator's Game continues, on the world stage. End the discovery here. The next game is being prepared. The next stick is being carved. The story continues.

What this object teaches

Lacrosse is a team sport with deep Indigenous North American origins, played for at least 1,000 years before European arrival. Different Indigenous nations had their own versions; the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy form is the most well-known internationally. The Haudenosaunee called the game Tewaarathon, the Little Brother of War, and used it both as sport and as a way to settle disputes between villages. Traditional lacrosse sticks are made of hickory wood by skilled carvers, steam-bent into shape, and strung with deer-hide leather to form a pocket. For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is the Creator's Game with deep religious and social meaning. Players sometimes carry the same stick for their whole life and are buried with it. The first formal written rules of what is now called field lacrosse were published by Canadian dentist William George Beers in 1867. The sport spread internationally in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, an estimated 2 million people worldwide play lacrosse. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy has its own national lacrosse team — the Haudenosaunee Nationals — that competes at the highest international level using Haudenosaunee passports. The team is one of the clearest contemporary expressions of Indigenous sovereignty in modern international sport. The Thompson brothers — Lyle, Miles, and Jeremy — from the Onondaga Nation are among the greatest modern lacrosse players.

Date	Event	What changed
Centuries before European contact	Indigenous nations across North America play their own versions of lacrosse	The game develops with deep meaning in many cultures
1142 (traditional date)	Founding of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy	The political alliance that produces the most internationally known form of lacrosse
1492 onwards	European arrival in the Americas	Some Europeans observe lacrosse and write about it
1867	William George Beers publishes the first formal rules	Modern field lacrosse begins; the sport spreads internationally
1983	The Iroquois Nationals (later Haudenosaunee Nationals) recognised by international lacrosse	First Indigenous nation in international team sport competition
2010	British government nearly blocks the team for using Haudenosaunee passports	International controversy highlights Indigenous sovereignty issues
Today	About 2 million people play lacrosse worldwide	The Haudenosaunee Nationals compete at the highest level; the Creator's Game continues at home

Key words

Lacrosse

A team sport played with a long stick that has a netted head, used to catch, carry, and throw a small rubber ball. The international name comes from the French 'la crosse' (the stick). Indigenous nations had their own names for the game.

Example: In modern field lacrosse, ten players per team try to score goals by getting the ball into the opposing team's net. Games are fast, with much running and stick-on-stick contact.

Haudenosaunee

The proper name (in their own language) for the people often called the Iroquois Confederacy. Means 'People of the Longhouse'. A political alliance of six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora.

Example: The Haudenosaunee Confederacy has existed continuously for at least 800 years. Their traditional lands span what is now upstate New York and parts of southern Ontario and Quebec.

Tewaarathon

The Mohawk word for the lacrosse game. Means 'Little Brother of War'. The name reflects the game's traditional use as a non-violent way to settle disputes between villages or nations.

Example: Traditional Tewaarathon games could involve hundreds of players on each side and last for days. The winner of the game won the dispute being settled.

Creator's Game

The Haudenosaunee name for lacrosse, reflecting their belief that the game was given by the Creator. Lacrosse has religious as well as social meaning. Players honour the Creator through their play.

Example: Major events in Haudenosaunee community life — births, deaths, healings, peace agreements — might be marked by lacrosse games. The game is part of how the community functions, not separate from it.

Haudenosaunee Nationals

The national lacrosse team of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Recognised by World Lacrosse as a sovereign nation team. Competes at the highest international level using Haudenosaunee passports.

Example: The Haudenosaunee Nationals have won bronze medals at the World Lacrosse Championships and are usually one of the top four teams in the world. They are the only Indigenous nation team in major international team sport.

Thompson brothers

Lyle, Miles, and Jeremy Thompson — three brothers from the Onondaga Nation who are among the greatest modern lacrosse players. Lyle Thompson has been called by some 'the greatest lacrosse player ever'.

Example: The Thompson brothers play in major North American lacrosse leagues and represent the Haudenosaunee Nationals at international competitions. They have helped raise the profile of Haudenosaunee lacrosse worldwide.

Use this in other subjects

Geography: On a map of North America, mark the traditional Haudenosaunee Confederacy lands — what is now upstate New York and parts of southern Ontario and Quebec. Discuss how these lands span the modern Canadian-American border, which the Haudenosaunee did not draw and do not always recognise.
History: Build a class timeline of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy: founding (around 1142 traditional date, perhaps 1450 by some scholarly estimates), European contact (1500s onwards), American Revolution (1770s, when the Confederacy was divided), Treaty of Canandaigua (1794), modern sovereignty struggles (20th-21st centuries). Lacrosse runs through all of this.
Citizenship: The Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team uses Haudenosaunee passports to travel internationally. Discuss what this means — passports are usually issued by states that the international community recognises. The Haudenosaunee passport is a real document with real political meaning. Other Indigenous peoples have similar struggles.
Ethics: Hold a class discussion: 'Should Indigenous nations have separate national teams in international sport?' Use the Haudenosaunee Nationals as one starting point. The same questions arise for Maori, Sami, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples. Strong answers will see this as a real ongoing question with arguments on multiple sides.
Science: Discuss the materials science of a traditional lacrosse stick. Hickory wood is strong yet flexible. Steam-bending changes the shape of the wood without breaking it. Deer-hide leather is strong, light, and slightly stretchy. Each material has properties that suit its purpose. Compare with modern synthetic sticks (titanium handles, plastic heads, mesh pockets) to understand both the old and new engineering.
Art: Look at images of traditional Haudenosaunee lacrosse sticks. Each is a piece of careful craft. Each student designs their own ideal sports equipment for an imagined sport, paying attention to materials, shape, and meaning. The Haudenosaunee stick-makers think this way every time they make a stick.

Common misconceptions

Wrong

Lacrosse is a recent Western invention.

Right

Lacrosse was played by Indigenous North American peoples for at least 1,000 years before European arrival. The modern field game was codified in 1867 by Canadian William George Beers, who learned the game from Haudenosaunee players. The roots are deeply Indigenous; the modern formal version is recent.

Why

The Western codification often gets credited as the 'invention' of the game. The truth is more accurate: Beers wrote down rules for a game that was already ancient.

Wrong

The Haudenosaunee are an extinct or historical 'tribe'.

Right

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a real existing political alliance of six Indigenous nations, with continuous existence for at least 800 years. About 125,000 people are enrolled members of the constituent nations today. The Confederacy issues its own passports, holds territory, and maintains traditional governance.

Why

Calling living peoples 'historical' or 'extinct' is one of the ways Indigenous nations are erased. The Haudenosaunee are very much alive.

Wrong

Lacrosse is just a sport for the Haudenosaunee.

Right

For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is the Creator's Game — a religious and ceremonial practice as well as a sport. Major community events are marked by games. Players are buried with their sticks. The game has deep spiritual meaning.

Why

Reducing the Creator's Game to 'just a sport' misses what it is in its home tradition. International field lacrosse is just a sport; Haudenosaunee Tewaarathon is more.

Wrong

The Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team is just a friendly cultural exhibition.

Right

It is a fully recognised international team that competes at the highest levels of world lacrosse. They have won bronze medals at the World Championships. Their players include some of the best in the world. The team is also a genuine assertion of Haudenosaunee sovereignty.

Why

Treating the team as a 'cultural exhibition' undersells their athletic achievement and missing the political significance.

Teaching this with care

Treat the Haudenosaunee Confederacy as a real existing political entity, not a historical 'tribe'. Use 'Haudenosaunee' (their own preferred name) and 'Iroquois' interchangeably; pronounce 'Haudenosaunee' as roughly 'ho-deh-no-SAW-nee'. The Confederacy includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. Be careful with 'tribe' — most Indigenous peoples in North America today prefer 'nation', 'people', or specific names. Honour lacrosse as the Creator's Game. The religious meaning is real and continuing, even though most international lacrosse today is secular. Avoid making the lesson into anti-colonial politics, but be honest about the long history of broken treaties, taken lands, and ongoing sovereignty struggles. The Haudenosaunee passport story is well-documented and not contested. Students who play lacrosse may find this lesson personally interesting — many lacrosse leagues now teach the Indigenous origins as part of their programmes. If you have students of Haudenosaunee or other Indigenous heritage, give them space to share but do not put them on the spot. Be respectful of the religious aspects without being heavy-handed; the Creator's Game is real religious practice, but the lesson does not need to dwell on specific ceremonial details that are usually private to community members. Avoid the lazy 'noble savage' framing — Haudenosaunee people today are modern people with modern lives, including doctors, lawyers, athletes, politicians, and many other professions. Lacrosse is one part of their living culture. Finally, end the lesson on the present. The Haudenosaunee Nationals are competing today. Master stick-makers are working today. The Creator's Game is being played today. The story continues.

Check what students have understood

Answer each question in one or two sentences. Use what you have learned about the lacrosse stick.

What is lacrosse, and how old is it?

Lacrosse is a team sport played with a long stick that has a netted head, used to catch, carry, and throw a small ball. It was played by Indigenous North American peoples for at least 1,000 years before European arrival. The modern formal version was codified in 1867 by Canadian William George Beers.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that mentions both the Indigenous origin (with rough timescale) and the 1867 codification.
What is the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and what is the Haudenosaunee word for lacrosse?

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a political alliance of six Indigenous nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora — with continuous existence for at least 800 years. They call the game Tewaarathon, the Little Brother of War.

Marking note: Strong answers will name at least three of the constituent nations and recognise the Confederacy as still existing. The Tewaarathon name is a bonus.
What does it mean that lacrosse is the Creator's Game?

For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is not just a sport but a religious and ceremonial practice given by the Creator. Major community events are marked by games. Players honour the Creator through their play, and are sometimes buried with their sticks. The game has both sport and sacred meaning.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that recognises the religious dimension and gives at least one specific example of the sacred meaning.
How is a traditional lacrosse stick made?

Traditional Haudenosaunee sticks are made from a single piece of hickory wood, steam-bent into shape over weeks, then strung with deer-hide leather to form a pocket. Master stick-makers select wood carefully and the work takes weeks per stick.

Marking note: Strong answers will mention the wood type, the steam-bending, and the leather stringing.
What is the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team, and why is it politically significant?

It is the national team of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, recognised by World Lacrosse as a sovereign nation team. Players travel on Haudenosaunee passports. The team is one of the clearest contemporary expressions of Indigenous sovereignty in international sport.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that mentions both the team's recognition and the sovereignty meaning. The passport detail is a bonus.

Discuss together

These questions have no single right answer. Talk in pairs or small groups, then share your ideas with the class.

In your own culture, are there activities that are both 'sport' and something more — religion, community ritual, identity?

Push students to think beyond modern professional sport. They may suggest: religious processions that involve athletic performance, traditional dances that have sport-like elements, family celebrations that include games, school sports days with deep community meaning. The deeper point is that 'sport' and 'meaning' are not always separate. The Haudenosaunee Creator's Game is one of the clearest cases of meaningful sport. Many cultures have similar combinations, even if they do not theorise them as explicitly.
Should Indigenous nations have separate national teams in international sport, like the Haudenosaunee Nationals?

This is a real ongoing question. Students may argue both ways. Strong answers will see arguments on multiple sides. In favour: Indigenous sovereignty deserves visible expression; recognition of Indigenous identity matters; the team produces real Indigenous excellence. Against: complicates the structure of international sport; raises questions about which Indigenous groups qualify; could weaken state-based national teams. The same questions apply to Maori, Sami, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples. There are no easy answers. End by saying that the Haudenosaunee Nationals are setting a precedent that other Indigenous peoples are watching closely.
The lacrosse stick was made of wood and leather for centuries. Modern sticks are mostly synthetic. What is gained and what is lost?

This is a craft and tradition question. Students may suggest: synthetic sticks are lighter, more uniform, easier to mass-produce, cheaper. Wooden sticks have history, beauty, individuality, sacred meaning. Strong answers will see that both have value. Many sports have similar shifts — wooden tennis racquets to graphite, leather footballs to synthetic, wooden golf clubs to titanium. The shift usually improves performance but loses something else. The Haudenosaunee continue to make traditional wooden sticks alongside the modern synthetic ones. Both have their place.

Teaching sequence

THE HOOK (5 min)

Without saying anything about the lesson, ask: 'Could a sport be a religious practice?' Take guesses. Then say: 'For the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of upstate New York and Canada, lacrosse is the Creator's Game — sport and religion together. We are going to find out about it.'
INTRODUCE THE OBJECT (10 min)

Describe the lacrosse stick: a long wooden stick with a netted head, used in a sport played for over 1,000 years by Indigenous North American peoples. Modern field lacrosse rules codified in 1867 by William George Beers, drawing on the Haudenosaunee game. Pause and ask: 'How might one game be both old religion and modern international sport?' Listen to answers.
THE CRAFT (15 min)

On the board, walk through how a traditional Haudenosaunee stick is made: select hickory wood, steam-bend it into shape, dry it for weeks, string with deer-hide leather. Discuss: this is craft, materials science, and religious work all together. Ask: what other objects in your culture are made with similar care for similar reasons?
THE NATIONS PLAYING (10 min)

Tell the story of the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team. Recognised internationally. Travel on Haudenosaunee passports. Win bronze medals at World Championships. Have included some of the best players in the world (Lyle Thompson). Discuss: what does it mean for a team to play for a nation that most people have not heard of?
CLOSING (5 min)

Ask: 'What does the Haudenosaunee Nationals team teach us about how Indigenous nations keep their identity alive in the modern world?' Take a few honest answers. End by saying: 'The Creator's Game has been played for over a thousand years. The stick is still being carved. The team is still travelling under its own flag. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is alive. The game is alive. The story continues.'

Classroom materials

The Sport That Is More Than Sport

Instructions: In small groups, students discuss: 'In your culture, are there activities that combine athletic competition with religious or community meaning?' Examples might include: religious processions, traditional dances, festival games, school sports with strong community identity. Each group shares one example. Discuss: lacrosse is one specific case of a wider human practice.

Example: In Mr Onondowa's class, students named: school football matches with intense community rivalry, religious dance performances, traditional festival games. The teacher said: 'You have just seen what makes lacrosse so interesting. It is not unique in combining sport and meaning. Many cultures do this. The Haudenosaunee just do it more explicitly than most. The Creator's Game is one of many such traditions worldwide.'

Build a Stick

Instructions: Each student designs (on paper) their own ideal lacrosse stick. They label each part — the handle, the head, the pocket, the throat — and explain their material choices. Display the designs and discuss. Real Haudenosaunee stick-makers think this way every time they make a stick.

Example: In Mrs Bear's class, students designed sticks with combinations of hickory handles, leather pockets, decorated grip wraps. The teacher said: 'You have just done a tiny part of what real stick-makers do. The choices matter — wood type, length, pocket design, balance. A great stick-maker can take weeks for a single stick. The result is more than equipment. It is a tool the player will use for years, made specifically for them.'

Sovereignty on the Field

Instructions: In small groups, students discuss: 'What does the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team show that political documents cannot?' Each group writes one paragraph. Discuss: a team competing under its own flag is a public, visible, widely-watched act of nationhood. Treaties and legal documents do important work, but a team running onto a field shows the nation in living motion.

Example: In one class, students realised that millions of people watch international lacrosse who have never read a Haudenosaunee treaty. The teacher said: 'You have just understood why sport matters politically. Recognition can come from many places. The Haudenosaunee passports work because the international lacrosse federation accepts them. Acceptance is not always given by the most obvious authorities. Sometimes it comes from the playing field.'

Where to go next

Try a lesson on the wampum belt for another major Haudenosaunee tradition. The wampum and the lacrosse stick together cover both diplomacy and game.
Try a lesson on the dreamcatcher for another Indigenous North American tradition with both sacred meaning and modern complications.
Try a lesson on the boomerang for another Indigenous sport-and-tool tradition with similar sovereignty issues.
Connect this lesson to citizenship class with a longer discussion of Indigenous sovereignty and how it is expressed in modern international institutions. The Haudenosaunee case is one of many.
Connect this lesson to history class with a longer project on the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Their political tradition is one of the oldest continuous democracies in the world.
Connect this lesson to physical education with a longer unit on lacrosse. Many schools teach the game; few teach its Indigenous origins. This lesson can change that.

Key takeaways

Lacrosse is a team sport with deep Indigenous North American origins, played for at least 1,000 years before European arrival. Different Indigenous nations had their own versions; the Haudenosaunee form is the most well-known internationally.
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy — Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations — calls the game Tewaarathon, the Little Brother of War. It was used both as sport and to settle disputes between villages.
For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is the Creator's Game with deep religious and social meaning. Players are sometimes buried with their sticks. Major community events are marked by games.
Traditional lacrosse sticks are made of hickory wood by skilled carvers, steam-bent into shape, and strung with deer-hide leather. The work takes weeks per stick.
The first formal rules of modern field lacrosse were codified in 1867 by Canadian William George Beers, drawing on Haudenosaunee play. The sport spread internationally and is now played by an estimated 2 million people worldwide.
The Haudenosaunee have their own national team — the Haudenosaunee Nationals — that competes internationally using Haudenosaunee passports. The team is one of the clearest expressions of Indigenous sovereignty in modern international sport.

Sources

Lacrosse: A History of the Game — Donald M. Fisher (2002) [academic]
The Iroquois Nationals: Lacrosse and Sovereignty — Allan Downey (2018) [academic]
How the Haudenosaunee Nationals defied a UK ban — BBC Sport (2010) [news]
Lyle Thompson and the rise of Indigenous lacrosse — The Atlantic (2019) [news]
World Lacrosse: About the Haudenosaunee Nationals — World Lacrosse (2024) [institution]

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The Lacrosse Stick: The Creator's Game in Wood

Questions for you

Common student difficulties — tick any you have noticed