2010 World Lacrosse Championships and Iroquois Inventors

This event is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse . For approximately 40 years from its development in 1967 through the 2006 World Championship event, this sport and quadrennial competition were sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF).

The World Championship is held every four years, as are the Olympic and Paralympic Games and World Cup Soccer (Association Football).

In 2008, the ILF merged with the former governing body for women's lacrosse, which was the the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA). To form the new umbrella organization that resulted: Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). (see links below).

As of 2010, 30 individual nations compete in the World Championship, to be held July 15 - 24th, 2010 in Manchester England.

2010 competition begins on July 15 with England vs Iroquois, unless the Native Americans/First Nations team is not able to attend - see data below.

Counting the worldwide teams that compete in the World Lacrosse Championships, we have 30 independent nations, including Iroquois Nation in North America.

The Huron and Iroquois Nations invented lacrosse long ago and the World Lacrosse Championships have recognized them yearly to honor both their invention and their Native American sovereignty as a nation of citizens. The Championships play the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team as a nation against other sovereign nations. It was accepted official into the ILF, International Lacrosse Federation in 1990 and is a member team of the replacement organization Federation of International Lacrosse.

However, during the 2010 World Championships, problems arose with Iroquois Confederacy passports. Iroquois land sits in Upstate New York and Ontario, Canada, although most of the Mohawk contingent, at least, have moved to Ontario where they enjoy a recognized political presence. No problems have arisen with Canadian freedom of movement related to Iroquois Passports.

Once outside of New York State and the other few places in USA in which the Iroquois citizens live, these lacrosse competitors are not guaranteed re-entry into the United States. They need a United States Passport for that guarantee.

In early April 2010, the Iroquois Nation presented a historical lecture in New York at Syracuse about the origins of the game and sport of lacrosse. It presented Onondaga Faithkeeper and All-American Lacrosse Goalie Oren Lyons and the former player/coach Roy Simmons, Jr. as part of the Onondaga Land Rights & Our Common Future series.This lecture was one of a total of 13 presented about Iroquois culture, particularly sports and their vital importance in life. Lacrosse is so much a part of the Iroquois 6 Nations that it is almost a religion, as important as language to these Native Americans.

Oren Lyons is a Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation Turtle clan and speaks for the Onondaga (People of the Hills) and the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse).Roy Simmons, Jr. is an outstanding Lacrosse coach at Syracuse University.

Chronologically, French settlers found the Iroquois Peoples playing lacrosse in 1636, but the Iroquois had been playing for many generations already.By 1750, Mohawk Nation taught the game to French Canadians at Montreal and after the American Civil War, the Iroquois had toured England and Australia with lacrosse. In 1983, they acquired their own national team and training program.

Lacrosse is called The Creator's Game, handed down from God.

Lacrosse is a designated medicine game, promoting health and strength among people of the Iroquois 6 Nations. In this respect, it is much more a part of Iroquois daily life than most American martial arts, but approaching the importance and place of old martial arts in Japan, Korea, and China. Iroquois Lacrosse players must be well trained in tribal medicine, as ancient Chinese and Korean grandmasters were in their own nations.

This is not just stick ball.

Read the medicine story about how the Creator gave us Lacrosse: The Creator's Game. Why is lacrosse important to the Iroquois? - Because it shows us the significance of the individual, any individual:

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Regardless of how unworthy you feel an individual is, that person may have qualities that could be a great help to you some day.