OPINION: The Medicine Game
In an era of divisiveness that has infiltrated nearly all forms of entertainment over the past few years, a story about sports bringing people together last month stood out.
This summer, eight invitations were sent out to men’s lacrosse teams to compete in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Ala. Among the teams invited were Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Japan and the U.S. The World Games is effectively a stepping stone to one day potentially joining the Olympics where organizations like World Lacrosse, an international governing body for the sport, would like to see it go.
One notable exclusion from the list of competitors was the Iroquois National team, whose men’s field team ranks third in the world and second in indoor. The Iroquois National team consists of members of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois or the Five Nations in recognition of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora First Nations native to New York, Ontario and Quebec. In addition to carrying a dominant modern legacy in the game, the Haudenosaunee literally invented it far before Europeans arrived in North America. While the team’s credentials speak for themselves, apparently World Lacrosse did not think so when inviting their original eight squads.
According to an NPR report, organizers said that because the Iroquois Nationals were not from a sovereign nation, they could not compete. Despite a petition garnering over 50,000 signatures calling for the Nationals to be included, it seemed nothing may change.
However, in an outstanding show of sportsmanship and humanity, the Ireland team dropped out of the tournament to make room for the Iroquis Nationals.
“None of us would be going to Birmingham, Ala., in the first place if it wasn’t for the Iroquois and giving us the gift of their medicine game,” Sonny Campbell, a player for Ireland Lacrosse, told NPR’s Morning Edition.
Campbell’s answer touched upon the history of what was once known as not lacrosse, but “the medicine game.” The game had that original title due to the game’s perceived power in Indian culture to strengthen medicines and remedies in times of sickness. Medicine games traditionally were as much ritual as healing practice, bringing communities together in times of strife as well.
As our society reckons with questions of equity and the collective and individual steps we need to take to achieve it while in the midst of pandemic, it is worth considering the step the Ireland team took. By looking at what change we can bring about with the power we have and in the industries we work, we can all bring a little needed medicine into our communities.
