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A
Short History of Lacrosse in Canada
Lacrosse, which the Native People of
North America knew under many different names such as Baggataway or
Tewaarathon, played a significant role in the community and
religious life of tribes across the continent for untold years. Its
origin lost in the antiquity of myth, Lacrosse remains a notable
contribution of the Native culture to modern Canadian society.
Native Lacrosse was characterized by a deeply spiritual involvement,
and those who took part did so with dedicated spirit and with the
highest ideals of bringing glory to themselves and their tribes, and
honour to the participants and the tribes to which they belonged.
In the 1840s the first
games of Lacrosse were played between the townsfolk and the Native People.
Though it was many years before any significant wins were logged against the
Natives, the game of Lacrosse was quickly winning the loyalty and interest
of the newest North Americans. Lacrosse was named Canada's National Game by
Parliament in 1859. In 1867 the Montreal Lacrosse Club, headed by Dr. George
Beers, organized a conference in Kingston in order to create a national body
whose purpose would be to govern the sport throughout the newly formed
country. The National Lacrosse Association became the first national sport
governing body in North America dedicated to the governance of a sport, the
standardization of rules and competition, and the running of national
championships to promote good fellowship and unity across the country. The
unforgettable motto of the organization was:
"OUR
COUNTRY - OUR GAME"
Lacrosse, because of
its unique history, exists as a link between the disparate components of
Canadian history, First Nations and European Settler. It remains the rare
occurrence in which an element of native culture was accepted and embraced
by Canadian society. The European concepts of structure and rules were added
to the religious and social rituals of the first North Americans, and
together produced one of the first symbols of the new Canada, Lacrosse.
The advent of the 20th
century saw Lacrosse as the dominant sport in Canada. There were extensive
amateur and professional leagues across the country and teams routinely
traveled from Quebec and Ontario to B.C. and vice versa to challenge for
supremacy in the game. In 1901 Lord Minto, the Governor General of Canada,
donated a silver cup to become the symbol of the championship of Canada. The
Minto Cup, today the symbol of supremacy in the Junior ranks, remains one of
the proudest prizes of Lacrosse. In 1910 Sir Donald Mann, chief architect of
the Canadian Northern Railway, donated a gold cup to be awarded to the
national amateur senior champion. Today it is the championship prize of the
best Senior team in Box Lacrosse in Canada.
The coming of the
1930s brought innovation once again to the sport. Promoters married the two
most popular games, Lacrosse and Hockey, and created Indoor Lacrosse, also
known as Box Lacrosse or Boxla. The game was built upon speed and action and
very quickly won massive support within the organization. By the mid 30's
the field game had been completely replaced by Boxla and the box version
became the official sport of the Canadian Lacrosse Association.
The Canadian Lacrosse
Association today recognizes four separate disciplines in the game of
Lacrosse: Box, Men's Field, Women's Field and Inter-Lacrosse. Box Lacrosse
is uniquely a Canadian game and is best described as a game of speed and
reaction. Men's Field Lacrosse is a game of patience and strategy, which
focuses on control of the ball. The Women's Field game has stayed truest to
the original sport in its play. It is a game based on the skills of passing
and ball control. Inter-Lacrosse is a non-contact version of the sport
designed to be adaptable to the various age and skill levels of the
participants.
Lacrosse was
re-confirmed by Parliament as the National (Summer) Sport of Canada in 1994.
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