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Known as the
"Original American Sport", lacrosse is almost certainly the oldest
sport played in North America. Although its exact origins are
unknown, the game was invented by American Indians sometime during
the 1400s. It was traditionally played throughout the eastern half
of North America, ranging from the Great Lakes territories and
Canadian provinces in the north and down into the southeast of the
United States. Lacrosse games were also reported to have been
witnessed as far away as southern California and British Columbia.
Originally
played by at least 48 tribes throughout a wide territory, there were
many early variants of the game. Some tribes played with short
sticks and smaller pockets, others used the more common sticks with
netted pockets. Some tribes limited the game to male players others
allowed women to participate. A two stick version of lacrosse also
existed, with players using one stick in each hand.
Early lacrosse
was much larger and violent than the game we know today, with
stories of competitions involving anywhere between one hundred and
one thousand participants playing as long as three days. Opposing
goals, in the form of trees or rocks, could be spaced as far as a
mile apart, and play would continue from sunup to sundown. No
protection was worn, only simple loinclothes, and injuries were
frequent. In fact, games were so rough that many tribes used the
sport as training for actual battle, earning the sport a reputation
as 'the little brother of war'.
Despite this
reputation for violence, lacrosse held a
very
important role in maintaining a peaceful society. Aside from its
recreational purpose, the game was also used to settle territorial
disputes between tribes, and served as an alternative to war as well
as a method of strengthening young men for adulthood. In some cases
it even took on a curative role, with games of lacrosse presribed to
cure illness or failing health. As a result, traditional lacrosse
was surrounded by a lot of cermony and respect, and tribal elders
often served as game officials.
Lacrosse first
became known to Europeans in 1636, when Jesuit priest Jean de
Brebeuf witnessed and documented a match between members of the
Huron tribe in what is now Canada. Popular legends claim that the
sport's name came from a perceived similarity between the netted
stick and the curved staff carried by bishops, 'la crosse'. In
fact, the French already played a version of field hockey known as
the 'jeu de la crosse', referring to the club used in the sport.
Whatever the
origin of the name, George Beers is generally considered the father
of modern lacrosse because of his efforts to standardize and
popularize the game. In 1867 he rewrote the rules of the sport,
establishing 12 players per team and naming the positions, including
goal, defense, attack, and center. He also replaced the
hair-stuffed leather ball with a hard rubber ball and redesigned the
stick for better accuracy and control.
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