BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Our story begins at the Seneca Allegany Community Center in Salamanca, where Gowanda head varsity girls lacrosse coach and Haudenosaunee women’s national player Lottie Gill brings the story of lacrosse’s origins to life.
"With the Creator's game, it was played in Sky World and then he gifted it for man to be played Earthside. Who then gifted it out to specifically Haudenosaunee men, who then gifted it out to the rest of the world," said Lottie.
Lottie and her husband Justin Gill, who coaches the boy's varsity lacrosse team at Gowanda, know firsthand the gifts this sport has brought into their lives.
“And I don’t ever take that for granted," said Justin. "I have so much love for the game and I want to give back to the game, give back to the youth and younger generations so they can be successful.”
While Justin’s intentions are in the right place, he like so many other natives who try to showcase their game to the rest of the world are met with plenty of roadblocks.
Take this for example, according to demographic data from the NCAA, among the 29,511 men and women lacrosse players across all collegiate levels only 115 of them are American Indian or Alaskan Native.
There’s a lot to unpack as to why the numbers are so alarming low at the collegiate level for the people who created the game.
The issues don’t just revolve around accessibility and wealth. It’s a systemic issue that largely has to do with one of the more shameful parts of American history.
“Of course the history of our residential schools. Being institutionalized, taken away from your family and your homes. Being taught a whole different way of life than what you or your parents are used to," said Claudia Jimerson, Director of Women's Lacrosse Operations and board member for the Haudenosaunee women’s national team.
She’s been fortunate enough to watch two of her kids go to college and play lacrosse while earning a higher-level education. But it’s her parents' and grandparents' generations that bear scars hidden both on and below the skin.
“It’s really traumatized a lot of our older people. Who didn't trust the education institution after that," said Jimerson.
“They themselves in the residential school weren’t shown love, they weren’t shown patience, they weren’t showed care, they weren’t cherished," Lottie added. "I feel like children need to be cherished, they need to be loved and the abuse those children were subjected to it breaks my heart. I could get emotional talking about it.”
Institutions like the Thomas Indian Residential School are difficult reminders of how Claudia and so many others had their way of life taken away, and that distrust in the education system is still an issue today.
For Buffalo Bandits forward Tehoka Nanticoke that issue hits home.
Growing up Haudenosaunee and Mohawk turtle clan, Nanticoke’s journey to pursue lacrosse at the IMG Academy in Florida was met with resistance in his own home due to that systemic apprehension in higher level education.
“My mom at the time when I was signing up for prep schools had no idea. I told her when I got into IMG (Academy). I got the permission slip and it was the only thing she had to sign because I signed up by myself," Nanticoke told 7 Sports. "She didn’t sign it for a day, she said you’re not moving across the country you’re not doing that alone. So eventually I threatened to take the papers to my father because I knew he would sign it. And she took the paper signed it, and had it on the table for the next day.”
Stories like Nanticoke’s are common in reservation families. But along the way guys like Cody Jamieson, Lyle and the rest of the Thompson brothers on the men’s side, and Jayln and Alie Jimerson on the women’s side, became role models for young kids and teens who look like them.
Having real-life success stories to turn to is what Vince Schiffert of the Haudenosaunee turtle clan and head lacrosse coach at Niagara Wheatfield has been trying to bring to the Indigenous lacrosse community since his playing days.
He and I stopped by the Tuscaraora Lacrosse Park. We were the only two there, however, despite the many barriers that have been put in the way of progress, their work to create opportunities for young indigenous youth hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In December of 2023, President Biden endorsed the Haudenosaunee Nationals’ sovereignty to be recognized to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics. It’ll mark the first time since 1908 the sport has been officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
However, the IOC has still yet to acknowledge or approve the Haudenosaunee Nationals to compete. This is due to the fact the Haudenosaunee’s sovereignty as a nation hasn’t been recognized by the “international community” and typically the IOC looks to the United Nations to determine a nation’s sovereignty.
Olympic qualifiers begin in 2025 and the thought of not allowing the creators of the game to play their sport on the world’s biggest stage does not sit well with them.
“If we’re not flying our flag in the Olympics, I don’t want the game in the Olympics," said Nanticoke.
“Through years and generations we’ve constantly been taken advantage of, surviving the theft of our land and the ridicule of our cultures and those kinds of things," added Jimerson. "Our rights were taken from us and now you want to take our game? And present it to the highest stage ever? That’s a huge slap to the face and it’s not going to happen without a fight.”
Bringing the creators of the game to the world stage has the potential to affect the sport of lacrosse like we’ve never seen before.
“The Haudenosaunee, countrywide loves the game of lacrosse and I think it would be a special event because it would give the world another look at our beautiful game," Justin Gill said.
“It’s a medicine game it’s played for peace. The message of peace goes along with this game not just in competition and we really need to hear that message of peace in this day and age. And we feel lacrosse could be a part of a global movement towards recognizing people," Schiffert said. "And bringing the message of a good mind. It’s a goal of our culture it’s how we’re supposed to behave and act in our decision-making.”
Regardless of the outcome, the creator’s game will still be here. It will continue to bring healing and peace to people who know only trauma and turmoil. From Salamanca to Tuscarora and everywhere in between, you’ll see these faces proving every day, that if you’re good to the game, the game will always be good to you.
"It doesn’t matter who tells us what we can do. We’ve been told our whole lives what we can do," Nanticoke said. "If you look back 100 years ago we were still playing it, you look back now 100 years later we’re still playing it, you look from 100 years from now, we’re still going to be playing it. No one is going to be able to take this game away from us.”
