by Brian Knockwood
The game of Lacrosse is one of North America’s fastest-growing sports. It is Canada’s official summer sport and is also known as “the fastest game on two feet”.
To the First Nations people of North America, lacrosse is known as “the Creator’s Game”. From time immemorial, the game of Lacrosse was viewed as a gift from the Creator and was played to give thanks and to show honour. Not only was lacrosse just a game, but it was also a form of ceremony and prayer, as the medicine people of tribes would participate, praying for good medicine, guidance, and protection of the people.
The First Nations people of North America view themselves as a part of nature, with all living things having a purpose and being equal. They learn by studying the movements and behaviours of the animals and have a spiritual connection with them.
There is so much we can learn about the game of lacrosse by studying and learning the way of the Wolf. We are Wolves. We ask for help and guidance from our wolf spirit guides.
The Wolf Pack is a close-knit family whose main purpose is to take care of one another. A wolf is very humble and will not take food until it can be shared with the pack. Our pack is our team. We are all equal and serve a role within our family. We all have our duties and must ensure that we do our duties well in order to take care of and help one another, especially when in need.
The Wolf has very keen vision. When we are on the floor, we must have the vision of the wolf. We must know where all of the other wolves (players)
are on the floor, and also who has the ball. We must also see and know where the opposing team’s defensive players are, and spot any weaknesses. Direct eye contact with your pack is key. We use eye contact to make sure that they know when you are ready to receive a pass, throw a pass, make a cut, or set a pick.
The Wolf has sharp hearing. When on the floor, we must constantly be vocal and communicate with one another. We must call the offence and call for the ball when open. We must especially use our hearing and verbal communication when on defence, we must let our teammates know when a pick is coming, and from what side, we must let them know when to switch, call out when a shot is coming, and when an opposing player may be floating or trying to come through the back door. We must also have open hearing to be able to hear the coach’s instructions from the bench.
The Wolf is very strong and fast. When on the floor, we must be both strong and fast. We must be running and moving at all times, never staying still. When we leave the bench to go on the floor, we must run, when we come to the bench for a line change, we must run. When we lose possession, we must run back on defence, and be strong.
When Wolves hunt, they hunt with purpose. When we play, we must play with purpose. Wolves are efficient with all members of the pack having a certain role. When hunting, they pick out weaker or slower prey that will make it a little easier for them to succeed. When on the floor, we must acknowledge and exploit any weaknesses in the other team's defence and take advantage of any mismatches.
Wolves are very smart. They circle their prey, and attack from all angles. Often a wolf will draw attention to themselves and attack, only to create an
opening for another wolf to come in from the opposite side. When we are on offence, movement away from the ball is key. We must use picks and cuts
to get our players open and to attack from the opposite side when they aren’t expecting it.
The Wolves’ den is their home. They will protect and defend their home at all costs. When on defence, we must protect our home, our goal. We
must always know where the other player is and stay between that player and the goal. We must stand strong and be fast by not letting them behind us.
Before each game or practice, we ask for guidance from the wolf spirits. We ask them to give us their speed, their intelligence, their vision, and their hearing. What we ask most is to be humble, and to respect one another, our coaches, the referees and the opposing team.
We ask the Creator to watch over us and to protect us from any harm. We give the Creator thanks, and also ask the Creator to watch over the other team, that no harm comes to them, and that we can all play the game together in the Creator’s honour.
Msit Nogma - “All my Relations” Wela’liek - Thank you all