The Haudenosaunee Nationals Men’s Lacrosse Team, formerly known as the Iroquois Nationals, represents the
Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
in international
field lacrosse
Field lacrosse is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867. ...
competition. They are currently ranked third in the world by
World Lacrosse
World Lacrosse (WL), formerly the Federation of International Lacrosse, is the international governing body of lacrosse, responsible for the men's, women's, and indoor versions of the sport. It was established in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...
after winning Bronze at the
2018 World Lacrosse Championship.
The team is organized by the
First Nations Lacrosse Association
First Nations Lacrosse Association (formerly Iroquois Lacrosse Association) is the governing body of lacrosse for First Nations within Canada and Native American tribes within the United States. The First Nations Lacrosse Association (FNLA) overs ...
.
In June 2022, the Nationals dropped Iroquois from their name, adopting the name the Haudenosaunee Nationals.
History
Background
For First Nations, lacrosse is more than a sport. Originally played as part of a spiritual endeavour meant to praise and give thanks to the Creator, a tradition still followed today by the Iroquois Nationals. For example, before each game the Iroquois Nationals gather around their spiritual advisor who leads a traditional tobacco-burning rite, in addition to other rituals in an effort to prepare players before they take the field.
The traditions attached to lacrosse extend to the wooden sticks, central to the Iroquois religion and culture.
Specifically, males are given a miniature wooden lacrosse stick at birth, sleep with their stick nearby throughout their life, and even take one to the grave. It is believed that the first thing an Iroquois does after reaching the afterlife is grab the stick placed in his coffin.
The importance given to these wooden lacrosse sticks stem from the belief that these are gifts from Mother Earth. The Iroquois believe that a living organism (i.e., a tree) died to make the stick and that its spirit has been transferred to the stick's owner. Therefore, the Iroquois play humbly in an attempt to honour the tree's sacrifice.
Modern team
The Iroquois Nationals men's lacrosse team was formed and sanctioned by the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee in 1983 in preparation of friendlies at the NCAA championship in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Nationals lost to the
Syracuse Orange
The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference.
The school's mascot is ...
28-5 and the
Hobart Statesmen
The Hobart Statesmen are composed of 11 teams representing Hobart and William Smith Colleges in intercollegiate athletics, including men's basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, sailing, soccer, squash, and te ...
22-14.
Prior to the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
, the Nationals held the Jim Thorpe Memorial Games and Pow-Wow, a 6-team event with local and international teams in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
The nationals achieved their first victory over the national team of England. The following year, using their Haudenosaunee passports, the Nationals traveled and toured England losing only once.
The Iroquois Nationals team is the only First Nation's team with international recognition as a sovereign people.
After being denied membership by the
International Lacrosse Federation
World Lacrosse (WL), formerly the Federation of International Lacrosse, is the international governing body of lacrosse, responsible for the men's, women's, and indoor versions of the sport. It was established in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...
(ILF) to compete in the
1986 World Lacrosse Championship
The 1986 World Lacrosse Championship was the fifth World Lacrosse Championship and was played in Toronto, Canada from July 18-25, 1986. The United States defeated Canada 18-9 in the final to win the tournament.
Results
Standings
Third Place
A ...
in Canada, the Iroquois hosted the teams for preliminary games at the
University of Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...
.
The IFL accepted the Iroquois as a full member nation in 1988.
The Iroquois Nationals took part in their first international competition at the
1990 World Lacrosse Championship in Australia, finishing fifth out of five teams. They warmed up for the world championship by competing in the Lacrosse USA tournament in Syracuse against top men's club teams.
Women's team
Although holding cultural importance among Iroquois communities, lacrosse has been described primarily as a men's game.
After the recognition of the male lacrosse team in the 1980s, a group of female Haudenosaunee lacrosse players attempted to create a national women's team. However, Haudenosaunee leaders refused to sanction a women's team citing traditional and cultural restrictions. Despite this, lacrosse remained vital to the national identity of Haudenosaunee women.
Ultimately, the Haudenosaunee women were able to form a national team, becoming members of the FIL in 2008.
Nike deal
Historically, the Iroquois Nationals operated on a very small budget while simultaneously trying not to accept any financial resources from the Canadian and American governments in an attempt to assert their sovereignty through financial independence.
In 2006, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Program signed a partnership with
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
in which Nike will provide the Nationals with their brand uniforms, clothing, footwear, and other equipment. The company is to develop programs to "promote wellness-and-fitness activities in Native American communities throughout the region", and team members may go to speak to local groups. Team members will also assist in testing of sustainable produced sportswear for Nike's research and development of processes to use non-toxic dyes and
biodegradable organic
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
.
Nike is the only Fortune 500 company to have such a relationship with a First Nations organization, and the Iroquois Nationals are the only such group.
This partnership extends beyond simply providing equipment and apparel and includes programs to promote wellness and fitness among Native American communities. This focus on the promotion of physical activity among Native Americans is part of Nike's Native American Business Program; they have worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Services to establish and manage physical activity programs among Native American communities. These programs are particularly important given the disproportionately high rates of obesity and diabetes among Indigenous communities.
Passport issues
The Iroquois Confederacy began issuing
their own passports in 1927 and its holders were able to travel without problem for many years.
However, with stricter security measures following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the European Union member states no longer recognized these passports as legal travel documents. While holders of these passports were still able to enter Canada, neither the United States nor Canada recognized the passports as valid travel documents.
These passports became an issue when the Iroquois Nationals attempted to enter England for the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship held in Manchester. The Nationals were unable to attend and compete in the
2010 World Lacrosse Championship in England as the United Kingdom did not accept their Iroquois passports. The Nationals’ players were told by British officials to obtain either U.S. or Canadian passports if they wished to enter the country, as the team's 23 players were eligible to be issued passports from these countries. The Iroquois Nationals refused to travel with Canadian or American passports, arguing that this would be a strike against their identity. As a result, the Nationals were forced to forfeit their three preliminary games. In 2015, while traveling to the United Kingdom (UK) for the Under-19 World Championship in Scotland, the Haudenosaunee women's national lacrosse team were refused entrance into the country due to the same passport issues faced by the Iroquois Nationals in 2010. Ultimately, like their male counterparts, the Haudenosaunee refused to travel under Canadian or American passports.
In 2018, the Iroquois Nationals’ travel arrangements to Israel for the World Lacrosse Championship were delayed due to passport issues once again. However, after the intervention of the Federation of International Lacrosse and the local organizing committee, the Israeli and Canadian governments were able to resolve the issue and lift the travel restrictions. As a result, the Iroquois Nationals arrived just before the opening ceremonies and their first game.
Awards
World Lacrosse Championship
Overall results
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
World Games
Overall results
2022
Other tournaments and games
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
See also
*
First Nations Lacrosse Association
First Nations Lacrosse Association (formerly Iroquois Lacrosse Association) is the governing body of lacrosse for First Nations within Canada and Native American tribes within the United States. The First Nations Lacrosse Association (FNLA) overs ...
*
Iroquois national indoor lacrosse team
The Haudenosaunee Nationals Indoor Lacrosse Team, known as the Haudenosaunee Nationals, represents the Iroquois Confederacy in international box lacrosse competitions. They are currently ranked second in the world by World Lacrosse and have won Si ...
*
Haudenosaunee women's national lacrosse team
*
World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years.
The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as a ...
References
External links
Haudenosaunee Nationals
{{National sports teams of the Iroquois Confederacy
Lacrosse of the Iroquois Confederacy
National lacrosse teams
National sports teams of the Iroquois Confederacy
First Nations sportspeople