With the Canada Day celebrations being held at Heritage Park in Mission and its history of being the original site of St. Mary’s Mission Residential School, I thought it would be a great idea to showcase the Creator’s Game we know as Lacrosse. Lacrosse as most know it, is a game played in hockey arenas in the summer or on fields from September to Spring in milder climates.
In many Indigenous Cultures, Lacrosse, or tewaaraton (Mohawk), baggataway (Algonquin groups), baaga’adowewin (Ojibwe) was a way to settle differences, prepare for war which could last for weeks and cover hundreds of miles. This is what I wanted people to know.
I applied for a table and a field space through the District of Mission for the Canada Day celebrations.
I shared my plans with the, Mission Minor Lacrosse Club (MMLC), and invited them to join me. Ryan Smith, a board member, has a collection of wooden sticks from various areas and periods. He agreed to showcase them at the park.
I made arrangements with the British Columbia Lacrosse Association (BCLA), to borrow 50 box lacrosse sticks and 50 female field lacrosse sticks to use for shooting and playing games at the park. We had kids playing mini-games going on for three hours behind our tent while smaller children shot on small nets beside our information area under the tent.
I also ordered fifty books to gift. There were two titles, ‘The Creator’s Game’ by Art Coulson, and ‘Children of The Longhouse’ by Joseph Bruchac. I also ordered stickers and Lacrosse balls in all the colours of the LGBTQIA2S+ flag for gifting. We were given a free registration from MMLC and a family pack of tickets for a Valley Sturgeon Junior Lacrosse game in Abbotsford for raffle.
During our 6 hour day, we put a lacrosse stick in over two hundred children’s hands, showcasing Indigenous peoples and their Creator’s Game.
I called it a huge success and was thanked by many people and the MMLC.
