Lacrosse stick handmade by Alf Jacques
     

    Today lacrosse is still played as a ceremony by the traditional Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca). When the Haudenosaunee call a ceremonial game of lacrosse, only the young men of the community play because that is how the game was traditionally played.  However, the entire community comes to watch and be an important part of the game.  The game is played for the pleasure of the Creator, and while the game is played, the community and players become spiritually healed. 

    Today there are secular (non-ceremonial) lacrosse games played by the community. Many of the reservations of the Haudenosaunee have lacrosse teams. These teams range in ages from the peewees to the golden oldies, and some teams are also composed of women. 

    Traditionally the game was played with a hand carved hickory stick and a small deer skin ball. Today most male lacrosse players use plastic sticks and hard rubber balls.  However, many of the women players prefer to use the traditional wooden box sticks.

The traditional lacrosse carver worked the wood by steaming the basket part till it bent to form a foundation for the woven basket to be formed. The stick was then carved to finish off the bend. Then, sinew was woven into the basket foundation and pulled tight to form a pocket.

    Traditional stick making is becoming an endangered art today. There are only a few traditional carvers making wooden sticks today. Wooden stick making takes time. For example, hickory trees can only be harvested in the winter and can take at least a year to dry, and not all trees are suitable for stick making. 

    I have a wooden stick that was made by Alf Jacques, who is Onondaga. Alf is one of only a handful of traditional lacrosse stick makers left. When I hold the wooden lacrosse stick in my hands, the one Jacques made, I can feel the time, effort, tradition, and craftsmanship that went into its making. The feel of a wooden stick is amazing.

Click on the picture to return to the lacrosse page

Any questions or comments can be sent to:

Webmaster & Designer Kanatiyosh@aol.com

This site and all artwork is protected by copyright law Kanatiyosh 2001 ©

Page created May 2001: Updated December 2001

  Click to Return to Peace 4 Turtle Island