104. Lacrosse stick
The Creator's Game
The rules of the game as we understand them—as we would insist on them—simply did not exist. It was played on a great open space of anywhere from 500 feet to a mile or two. There was no out of bounds; the world itself was the field. Duration of play was measured by sunrise and sunset. The goal, in the small sense of the word, was a two-inch pole that players had to strike with the ball.
But in the larger sense, this was not merely a game. This was physical and spiritual conditioning, practice for war, gathering of the whole community for trade, settling of disputes, and worship—of the strength of bodies young and old, of the earth and existence itself. It was called the Creator’s Game, medicine for mind and body as much as play.
For a day or two, hundreds of players, sometimes a thousand or more, would run together, bearing the wooden stick that was given to them at birth and that would be buried with them. The stick was bent into a curve, which French explorers thought resembled a bishop’s crook, la crosse. But for the original players of the oldest sport on the continent, it symbolized a sacred weapon—a marker of identity, painted and decorated with feathers.
Modern plastic lacrosse sticks resemble the originals. But they are merely equipment. The prep school game played with pads and helmets is something else entirely, a distant descendant of the Creator’s Game.
Special thanks to E. Philip Cannon for suggesting the lacrosse stick.
Links:
‘You’re Given a Stick at Birth. You’re Buried With Your Stick.’ - Armin Rosen, Tablet, July 16, 2018
Lacrosse: Native sport, Native life - Justin Giles, Seminole Tribune, May 31, 2018
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This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 words on 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. Through December 31, 2026.
I’m looking for ideas for this series — have something you’d like me to consider for inclusion? Please feel free to leave a comment!
It is interesting how lacrosse has spread in my lifetime. When I was in college in the 1960s the sport was pretty much confined to the states in the East with the biggest concentrations in New York, and from Maryland on to the other southeastern states. and played at both the high school and college level. Now it is nation-wide with West Coast schools such as Stanford and Oregon and midwestern schools such as Denver U and Notre Dame being powerhouse lacrsosse schools.. At the high school level it is played in all 50 states and lacrosse is played in both a long-standing men's and recently started women's professional league. Explanations vary but usually include the fact that it is a fun sport to watch and embodies many of the best aspects of soccer or field hockey but also has a physicality like football or basketball. Maybe you have uncovered spirituality as another aspect of its growing popularity.