Native Lacrosse: When a Game is More than a Game – The Look Back – PBS Wisconsin Education

When is a game more than a game?

Native peoples in North America have been playing lacrosse for centuries. Sometimes it was about more than recreation. It could be used as medicine or as a way to settle disputes. Today, Native peoples play lacrosse for fun and to keep their culture alive.

Let's take a look

View Transcript: English Spanish

Questions to consider

Colorful circle with pattern and zigzag with the number one in the center

What do we know about the traditional game of lacrosse? How does it differ from the modern version?

Colorful circle with pattern and zigzag with the number two in the center

How do we know the history of lacrosse? What are some of the sources of information mentioned?

Colorful circle with pattern and zigzag with the number three in the center

What are some of the reasons lacrosse is important to Indigenous culture?

Meet the historians

Smiling person with lavender hair and purple cat-eye glasses.

Kacie Lucchini Butcher

Public Historian

I find and share stories from the past that have shaped our present, and love showing people how cool history is!

Smiling person with lavender hair and purple cat-eye glasses.

Kacie Lucchini Butcher

Public Historian

No! But it looks fun.

Football.

Definitely watching! (I’m not very athletic.)

Person with long braids and dark-rimmed glasses.

Taylor L. Bailey

Public Historian

I get to look at things and moments in history and teach others about them!

Person with long braids and dark-rimmed glasses.

Taylor L. Bailey

Public Historian

No, I haven’t, but learning more about its origins made me want to!

I love playing (and watching) softball and baseball, but also love watching basketball. (I can’t play.)

I watch more than I play these days, but love doing both!

Person laughing, wearing a round shell earring.

Mark Denning

Oneida Nation, Lacrosse Coach

I coach and teach lacrosse to young people at the Indian Community School!

Person laughing, wearing a round shell earring.

Mark Denning

Oneida Nation, Lacrosse Coach

Yes, I have played for close to 40 years now. The game is a gift from our Natural World, and to know it was played before humans were here in the world means I am a part of a continuity of history that is alive today!

Lacrosse of course! I try to play it year-round and in its different forms – traditional wood stick, indoor, outdoor, and the new Olympic style called Super Sixes!

I like playing the sport of lacrosse more than watching, but the one game I really love to watch is the women’s games. They are magic with those lacrosse sticks and their communication on the field is second to no other sport.

A man in a white baseball hat, wearing a shell earring.

“That game has a life. Just as we have a life and a purpose, our games have a life and
a purpose. ”

Mark Denning

Episode credits

Producer
David Boffa

Hosts
Taylor L. Bailey
Kacie Lucchini Butcher

Special Guest
Averie Anderson
Mark Denning
Tracy Littlejohn

Research and Writing
David Boffa

Videography
David Boffa
Tori Charnetzki
Kylie Compe
Ian Glodich

Additional Production Support
Connor Ciecko

Editing
Ian Glodich
David Boffa

Captioning
Catie Pfeifer

Translation Services
Rev

Educator Support Materials
David Boffa
Nick Ostrem
Jen Kobylecky

Web Design
Charles Barrows
Erika Kachama-Nkoy

Digital Content Editors
Sigrid Peterson
Mark Riechers

Web Development
John Vieth

Graphic and Motion Design
Danielle Riseley
Charles Barrows
Ian Glodich

Executive Producer
Ryan Hendricks

Director of Education
Megan Monday

Director of Television
Kathy Bissen

Project Partners
Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History
UW–Madison Libraries
Wisconsin Historical Society

Special Thanks
Siobhan Marks
Amy Vach
Indian Community School
La Crosse County Historical Society

Funding provided by

Timothy William Trout Education Fund
a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout

Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family

Focus Fund for Education

Friends of PBS Wisconsin