January 12, 2024 | By Adam Levi | insidelacrosse.com
Lacrosse is more than a game for the Indigenous people of North America. Native American Heritage Nights help teach us that.
“We personify everything as Native people,” Lyle Thompson of the Georgia Swarm said. “From the sun to the moon to earth to the water to the wind, and even the game of lacrosse. When you personify the game, and you treat it with respect, and you make sure you’re playing with a clear mind —not doing it with a distorted mind or an angry mind— and you’re having fun, that’s how you honor it.”
On Saturday evening, January 13th, the Georgia Swarm celebrated their annual Native American Heritage Night at Gas South Arena. It was a night of learning and reshaping perspectives about Native people and the game of lacrosse.
Pre-game, native Swarm players and a Cherokee warrior shared stories of their upbringing. During the game, Native players donned new jerseys with their Native names on them. At halftime, a Native storyteller taught the fans about the first game of stickball between the land animals and the winged animals. Warrior Dancers from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians demonstrated tribal dance renowned in their community. Fans also had the chance to meet many of the Native players post-game.
All NLL teams host a Native American Heritage Night at some point during the season, but the Swarm’s Native American Heritage Night features more Native players than any other. The Swarm currently have 10 Native players on their roster: Lyle Thompson, Miles Thompson, Jeremy Thompson, Brendan Bomberry, Seth Oakes, Angus Goodleaf, Kaleb Benedict, Zach Miller, Kason Tarbell, and Dustin Hill (some of these men did not play on Saturday).
The visiting Albany FireWolves, who battled the Swarm have a handful of Native players themselves, including Doug Jamieson, Marshall Powless, Travis Longboat and Ty Logan (some of these men did not play on Saturday).
When educating non-Native people about Native culture, events like these are a tremendous privilege, especially on nights when more than a dozen Native lacrosse players, many from different Nations and different communities, can share their unique personal stories. Lyle Thompson, who has long been a leader in educating non-Native people about lacrosse on and off the floor, explained why nights like these are so valuable to spreading the values of lacrosse.
“It’s an opportunity to educate,” Thompson said. “That’s one of the things I’ve always tried to do, which is educate. I try to help people understand the history and the roots of this game and the importance it carries within our people. It’s not just a sport. It’s not just a game. It’s a way of life that can teach us as people a lot more lessons, I think, more than any other game because there’s history and there’s deep roots.”
“Anytime we do a Native American Heritage Night, it’s a huge opportunity to take advantage of that.”
When it comes to the game itself, Thompson emphasized how he believes the way we approach the game —and all sports for that matter— has changed, and not for the better. He urged those who choose to embrace lacrosse to reconsider, or at least give a deeper look into, why they want to be involved with the game.
“We live in a day and age where sport has taken over,” Thompson said. “Sport is sort of this dominating mindset where you have to win the trophy, you have to play to win, you have to play for yourself, and your team, and your teammates. Sometimes, it’s just easier to look inward and understand your true intentions while you’re playing the game, so you can optimize the experience.”
“You can capitalize on getting the true experience of playing the medicine game because that’s where the medicine is; it’s how present you are when you’re playing it. To me, that’s how you honor the spirit of the game, and I think that’s an important part that we’re slowly losing in today’s day and age.”
Thompson provided some insight as to how lacrosse, as opposed to other sports, can teach you valuable lessons about life, love, happiness, and understanding of oneself. Lacrosse has never been played solely, or even primarily, as a competitive win-at-all-costs kind of game. It is medicine for the body, mind, and soul.
“It teaches you respect,” Thompson said. “If you’re taught the right way (how to play the game), how to really honor the spirit of the game, you do it with respect, you do it with a clear mind, and you have fun while you’re doing it.”
Native American Heritage Nights are meant to do precisely this. When the players share their stories, you hear how they respect the game. When the Native storytellers teach us about the game’s roots, we learn how deeply rooted and meaningful lacrosse is to the Native community. When the tribal dances are demonstrated, we learn more about a piece of the Native community.
Take the time to involve yourself and embrace each and every one of these types of activities during any Native American Heritage Night a team in the NLL hosts. These experiences and the meaning behind them will change your perspective of the game for the better. Native American Heritage Nights help us better understand lacrosse and Native culture.
