‘Rejecting Traditional Roles’

“Women’s lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports around the world, but for the Haudenosaunee {Iroquois} women’s team, the road to lacrosse has been slow. In 1999, the women’s ‘Haudenosaunee National’ team was disbanded in response to opposition from clan mothers (traditional Haudenosaunee matriarchs). The opposition stemmed from teachings that say lacrosse is a medicine game given only to men to play.