AncientPages.com - Lacrosse is considered to be America's first sport. It’s a team game played between two teams using a small rubber ball. Lacrosse was originally known as stickball and invented by Native American Indians who played it for a number of reasons.
Apart from its recreational function, lacrosse traditionally played a more serious role in Indian culture. Lacrosse was practiced by tribal warriors for training and religious purposes. It was a popular ancient sport and sometimes bets were place on the outcome of the game.
“Indian Ball Game” by George Catlin (courtesy Smithsonian American Art Museum)
The teams were large and as many as 100 to 100,00o players could participate in a game that often lasted for several days. The ball was tossed into the air to indicate the start of the game and players raced to be the first to catch it. No player was allowed to touch the ball with the hands.
See also:
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The game was initially played in the St. Lawrence Valley area by the Algonquian tribe and they were followed by other tribes in the eastern half of North America, and around the western Great Lakes.
French Jesuit missionaries working in the St. Lawrence Valley in the 1630s were the first Europeans to see lacrosse being played by the Native American Indians. The game was demonstrated by the Caughnawaga Indians in Montreal in 1834.
It soon became a popular sport that spread and by 1860 lacrosse had become Canada’s national game. In 1904 and 1908 lacrosse was played in the Summer Olympics.
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