Paul Rabil Instagram – Lacrosse is a gift from the Creator meant to be shared. This is Indigenous Heritage weekend from the land of ten thousand lakes.
1. Learned the rules of baaga’adowewin, or traditional stickball from @thowes1 — stick maker on the Fon Du Lac Nation. The skill it takes to get the ball down the field with precision is insane. The goals are posts and points are scored when you hit them
2. Alfie Jacques the legendary Onondaga stick maker crafted over 80,000 sticks. He was a brilliant man and an ambassador of the game around world 🕊️
3. We commissioned Alfie’s protege @officialjohnsonlacrosse of the Akwesasne Nation to make these sticks as a gift for those who help grow the game. You can meet Jack at @pll games this season
4. Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter drew the logos for our Indigenous Heritage jerseys — each team has a Medicine Wheel patch, the Anishinabe Thunderbird patch, and an Every Child Matters patch
5. Former champ game MVP Zed Williams of the Seneca Nation began the game with a traditional stick to honor his ancestors
6. Haudenosaunee Nationals team captain, former teammate and dear friend @jeremy74thompson joined @espn in the booth to call the games
7. Denver Outlaws rookie defender @jakepiseno’s family comes from the Purépecha Tribe — he plays for the Haudenosaunee Nationals
8. Learned about ceremonial smudging — an Indigenous tradition meant to dispel negative energy by burning white sage
9. Bradlee Henry of the Onondaga Nation bends the hickory tree — one of the strongest woods in America. For every stick made, a seed is planted
10. A lacrosse story told by Chief Oren Lyons based on the four-legged animals vs the winged birds. There was a bat who was without a team — having both four legs and wings. The winged animals decided they would take him, and as the game came down to the final play, the bat scored the winning goal
Wherever you are, however you play the game, there will always be a connection to its past. This weekend was a reminder that there’s so much to celebrate and be grateful for. | Posted on 03/Jul/2024 02:50:34
