While lacrosse may be Canada’s national summer sport, Kaitlyn Austin says many consider it to be much more than a game.

“It’s known to many Indigenous peoples as the Creator’s Game or the Medicine Game. It is a sacred gift with deep cultural, spiritual and healing significance,” says Austin, the Indigenous Health and Wellness Navigation Coordinator at Brock’s Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre.

Developed by First Nations people across Turtle Island, Austin says lacrosse – North America’s oldest team sport – has brought communities together for hundreds of years through ceremony and healing, restoring balance by helping to uplift spirits and resolve conflicts.

“It’s a living tradition that continues to support cultural continuity, resilience, holistic wellness and the revitalization of Indigenous knowledge and practice,” says Austin.

The Brock community will have the opportunity to learn more about the game, including how to play it, at the Lacrosse FUNdamentals workshop on Friday, Sept. 25 from noon to 2 p.m.

Workshop facilitator Bronson Rowsell, a Peer Assistant at Hadiya’dagénhahs, says the afternoon will begin with a conversation about the significance of lacrosse.

“It’s the only game on two feet that comes from no one. It comes from the Creator, not a human being,” he says.

Hosted by Brock Sports and Recreation and Hadiya’dagénhahs, the event is open to all skills level. In the past, participants have ranged from those who have never touched a stick before to people who have played recreationally or at an elite level.

A member of Brock Men’s lacrosse team, Rowsell shares his love for the game through the workshop, helping others to learn the basics such as stickhandling, passing and throwing and the rules of the game.

“Everyone gets a feel for what it is like to play lacrosse,” Rowsell says. “We just try to do it at a level where everyone understands. They can go to a game and be like ‘I know a little about this, how awesome.’ For others, it’s about being able to hold a stick and have a little bit of fun.”

Participants will be able to familiarize themselves with the sport ahead of a pair of Every Child Matters lacrosse games against Toronto’s Varsity Blues, hosted by Hadiya’dagénhahs and Brock Sports on Wednesday, Sept. 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“It really is fun when you know what’s happening and you understand the game. You enjoy it a lot better,” says Rowsell.

The Brock Women’s lacrosse team will play at 4:30 p.m. and the Men’s lacrosse team will take to the field at 7 p.m. Taking place at Alumni Field, both games will feature drummers, dancers, an opening address followed by a land acknowledgement and the raising of the Every Child Matters Flag on the field. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange shirts in honour of Orange Shirt Day.

Orange shirts are available for purchase in the Campus Store, with a portion of proceeds going to Hadiya’dagénhahs, and will be sold at Alumni Field during the games.

Admission for both games is free.