University of British Columbia Press
The Creator’s Game
Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood
9780774836036
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
The Creator’s Game
Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood
Lacrosse has been a central element of Indigenous cultures for centuries, but once non-Indigenous players entered the sport, it became a site of appropriation – then reclamation – of Indigenous identities. The Creator’s Game focuses on the history of lacrosse in Indigenous communities from the 1860s to the 1990s, exploring Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations and Indigenous identity formation. While the game was being appropriated in the process of constructing a new identity for the nation-state of Canada, it was also being used by Indigenous peoples to resist residential school experiences, initiate pan-Indigenous political mobilization, and articulate Indigenous sovereignty. This engaging and innovative book provides a unique view of Indigenous self-determination and nationhood in the face of settler-colonialism.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Dewa’á?’:gajíhgwa’e’ – Prologue: The Creator’s Game
Baaga’adowewin – Introduction: A Trickster History of Lacrosse
1 Tewaá:rathon – The Canadian Appropriation of Lacrosse and “Indian” Performances
2 Metawewin – Colonizing the Creator’s Game in Residential Schools
3 Sk’exwa7 – Articulating Indigenous Nationhood on the West Coast
4 Ga-lahs – Box Lacrosse and Redefining Political Activism during the Mid-twentieth Century
5 Dey-Hon-Tshi-Gwa’-Ehs – Reclaiming the Creator’s Game
Dewa’ë:ö’ – Conclusion: A Trickster Ending
Págádowe – Notes; Yunenrúha?r – Bibliography; Index