Provinces and Territories · Drawing 19 of 42
A game of lacrosse
Ontario
For the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse is a very old and very important game. It is also Canada’s national summer sport!
How to say it: Haudenosaunee sounds like “hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee.”
Look together
Where is the ball? Follow it with your finger.
An idea to try
Gently toss a soft ball or a pair of rolled-up socks to each other, then catch it with a basket or a box.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Since 1994, a federal law has recognized lacrosse as Canada’s national summer sport and ice hockey as its national winter sport. Lacrosse is also the Creator’s Game. For the Haudenosaunee, a confederacy of six nations, it has spiritual meaning and is also a medicine game, linked to healing. In 1834, teams from Kahnawà:ke and Akwesasne played exhibition games near Montréal, and Montréal sportsmen then learned the game from their Mohawk neighbours.
Traditionally, the stick is made of hickory, a wood regarded as sacred. The drawing shows children simply playing catch, not a ceremony. Talk about fair play: passing the ball, cheering others on and thanking those who passed the game on.
Sources and illustration notes (4)
Imagined children and sticks; the netting is simplified, and the drawing shows neither a specific team nor a ceremony.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Justice Canada — National Sports of Canada Act (S.C. 1994, c. 16)Lacrosse declared the national summer sport and ice hockey the national winter sport (assented to May 12, 1994).
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Lacrosse: From Creator’s Game to Modern SportThe Creator’s Game, spiritual for the Haudenosaunee; a medicine game; 1834 exhibition games with teams from Kahnawà:ke and Akwesasne; Montréal sportsmen learned from their Mohawk neighbours; hickory, a sacred wood.
- Haudenosaunee Nationals — Our HistoryLacrosse is one of the most revered Haudenosaunee traditions and spiritually a “medicine” game; the team represents the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy; why “Haudenosaunee” replaced “Iroquois.”
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian — Haudenosaunee Guide for EducatorsPronunciation of Haudenosaunee: “hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee”; written in consultation with Haudenosaunee scholars.
Page prepared on September 24, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book My Canada to Colour
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