It’s been close to a decade since the last time an international lacrosse game was held on native land, but yesterday four games from the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships took place at the Mary C. Winder Community Center on the Oneida Indian Nation.
The last time international lacrosse was played on native land was at the 2015 Men’s Box Championship on the Onondaga Nation and in nearby Syracuse. Big crowds throughout the tournament showcased the sport and the Haudenosaunee earned a silver medal.
Yesterday’s performances started with two of the final four games of pool play in the women’s box championship. Canada continued their flawless performance with a 28-0 win over Ireland, and the Haudenosaunee won their third game in a row with a 19-4 Netherlands take down. Men’s Pool A wrapped up action with Haudenosaunee defeating England 18-2, and Canada taking down the United States in a highly-contested battle, 14-10.
The Mary C. Winder Community Center was opened in June 2024 and is among the largest tribal centers of its kind in the United States. It is named after Oneida Indian Nation member and Native American activist Mary C. Winder.
The venue was filled to watch these eight teams play.
“It’s incredible,” Canada forward Josh Byrne said. “It’s such a special arena. It feels different in here, you can feel the energy and its incredibly cool for us to honor them [Oneida Indian Nation people] and play here.”
The United States’ men’s team manager, Jake Henhawk, grew up on Six Nations Indian Reserve where lacrosse was always a central point.
“It’s kind of ingrained into our culture,” said Henhawk. “When the boys are born, usually the first night there is a wooden stick in their crib. It’s naturally ingrained into our heads that this is the sport we play.”
Members from the local community were part of the crowd yesterday watching the games. During the Haudenosaunee vs. England and United States vs. Canada games, spectators got to watch traditional native dancing.
“It means everything,” Henhawk said. “Coming to a smaller nation, like Oneida, that hasn’t had a lacrosse team here in shy of a decade, to come here and play for them [Oneida Indian Nation people], it means a lot.”
Henhawk’s cousin, Stacy Smith, is member of the Haudenosaunee’s women’s team that played in the second game of the day.
“Watching them [women’s teams] there is so much skill,” Henhawk said. “It’s nice to see how far the women’s game is right now even at the first world championship. There are going to be really, really, really, competitive games in the future.”
More than 160 athletes between the eight teams got to play in the beautiful arena on a historic night.
“I don’t think it [playing on Native land] will set in until maybe after the games,” said Henhawk. “Our players are coming in just knowing it’s another game, and then after that they’ll look at it, sit on it, and appreciate it even more”
Native Americans gifted the sport to the rest of the world, and lacrosse is appreciated by those that love to play it.
“Lacrosse is such a special sport,” said Byrne. “We call it the medicine game for a reason. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling or what your body feels like. When you step on that floor for two and a half hours, everything goes away and you feel at peace.”
