Giving Back to Native Americans for Lacrosse

To thank the founders of the game of Lacrosse, the Haudenosaunee people, I am crowdfunding to provide lacrosse equipment so that more young men and young women Native Americans might play this great game.

All donated funds will go to the 4 The Future Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by the Thompson brothers who are Haudenosaunee from the Hawk Clan of the Onondaga Confederacy. Funds will go directly to support underserved indigenous communities with lacrosse education and cultural exchange to support the roots of the game. The fiscal sponsor for this foundation is the Inter-Tribal Council of AT&T Employees, also a 501-c-3 non-profit. All donors will receive a tax deduction receipt from PayPal.

Native Americans have given much to others, including lacrosse. Through lacrosse, they have taught:

My Story

My name is Cole Bell and I am a junior in high school who has played lacrosse for twelve years. When I was in seventh grade, my coach, Bob Powell, lent every team member a book called The Story of the Stick by Neil Duffy. It was about a 14-year-old boy who was given a lacrosse stick that was 200 years old and had been passed down for generations. It told the story of lacrosse being a gift from the Creator to Native Americans. My copy was signed by many players from years past. This all made me think about the history of the game, being thankful for my coaches and for those who started the sport I love.

This fall I invited Lyle Thompson to speak at my high school . Mr. Thompson scored more points in college than any other player in NCAA history. He is also the only player to win the Tewaaraton Award twice. In his talk, he taught me that the meaning of the sport was more important than any game alone.

The History of Lacrosse (From History.com)

Lacrosse, America's oldest team sport, dates to 1100 A.D., when it was played by the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois people, in what now is New York and areas in Canada bordering the state.

The early versions of lacrosse matches played by Native American nations included 100 to 1,000 men or more using wooden sticks, sometimes with net baskets or pockets attached, and small, deer hide-wrapped balls. Deer sinew formed nets. Borderless fields could span miles, and games could last days.

“Lacrosse was an integral part of Native Americans’ culture,” says Joe Finn, archivist at the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum. “It was played to prepare them for war, and it was also a social event where tribes would get together for trade and sport. It was sometimes used to settle disputes."

Illustration at top credit: Vincent Ricasio/ The Art of Lax, used by permission with payment to artist.