What is the cultural and historical significance of the National Sport of Lacrosse in Canada?

 

The lacrosse game bears a cultural and historical significance to Canada. It is believed that the game was played by the first nations as an appeasement to their gods. It was known as the Baggataway among the Algonquin people. Thus, they believed playing Lacrosse was a form of worship and that the creator answered the prayers of the people through healing and providing good weather. It was additionally a form of gratitude of the Creator. Another cultural significance attached to the Lacrosse game in Canada was that it was seen as a fight against good and evil. Hence, this game maintained a cultural significance to the people of Canada. Thus, from 1859 to 1994, Lacrosse was termed as the national sport of Canada and in 1994 as the summer sport of Canada. The history of lacrosse traces back to the French settlers who first saw the natives playing Lacrosse. Perceiving that the lacrosse stick resembles a bishop's crozier, the French named the stick the game Lacrosse, hence the name to date. Gradually, the game started spreading and soon the first nations began playing with residents of Montreal in the 1800's. In the 1860s, the National Lacrosse Association was created, complete with rules and instructions that were to be followed while playing the game. This was the gradual development of what would later become a national sport, and making Canada unique in the process.