Lacrosse roots run deep in Haudenosaunee Nationals team heading to South Korea

In some communities lacrosse sticks are placed next to newborn babies by fathers who learned the game from their fathers, to pass on the tradition; players on this year's Haudenosaunee Nationals team are no exception.

Ranked third in the world, the team is heading to South Korea for the World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship in field lacrosse in August. The roster was announced earlier this month.

The Haudenosaunee — a confederacy of the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk), Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations — invented lacrosse and the Haudenosaunee Nationals teams represent the confederacy in international tournaments.

It will be defenseman Rarihwenote Maracle's first time wearing the Nationals' jersey on an international stage. His brother Oneniotekowa Maracle and his father, Brent Maracle, also played for the Nationals.

"I don't feel pressure, but I feel an obligation," said Rarihwenote, who is Kanien'kehá:ka from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

The 19-year-old said growing up his two biggest teachers were his older brother and his father.

He said his father taught him to play defensively, "how to protect the house."  He said his brother, who plays offence, "tells me what annoys him the most ... what drives an offensive player crazy," to give him an edge over his opponents.

Both brothers agreed the most important skills that their father taught them are to have a strong body, strong mind, and strong unity with their team.

Rarihwenote said a lot of his game is patience.

"I don't have to react, I just have to wear you down," he said.

"As a lighter player, I'm not going to be able to bully you, but I can stop you from getting to the net by staying in front of you and pushing on your hips."

The Onondaga term for lacrosse is Deyhontsigwa'ehs, which roughly translates to "they bump hips."

Backyard lacrosse

Rarihwenote's older brother, Oneniotekowa, 23, has played on the Nationals development team. He said he's proud of his younger brother and that they played backyard lacrosse growing up with their father and younger brothers.

Their dad played for the Nationals from 1990-1995 and he also helped to start the development teams program.

"It's not just a game to us," he said.

"It was passed down to us not just from our fathers, but from our great-grandfathers and our great-great-grandfathers."

He pointed out that they're the smallest of all of the populations that are participating in international lacrosse yet consistently rank within the top three.

Nationals alumnus Marty Ward, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is the head coach of the men's U20 team. He lives in Florida and is head coach of the Florida Southern College men's lacrosse team in Division 2 NCAA.

He said team cohesion is vital.

"We have the strongest group that's committed to go and compete for a gold medal," Ward said.

He said Rarihwenote's a versatile player who does a good job communicating with his teammates — so much so he wanted to recruit him to Florida Southern.

Ward also played with Brett Bucktooth and Ron Cogan for the Nationals, and their sons, Brett Bucktooth Jr. and Chace Cogan have also been named to the U20 roster.

General manager Delby Powless, from Six Nations of the Grand River, first suited up for the Nationals back in 1999 and has since seen the game grow across Haudenosaunee communities and internationally.

He said it's going to be a tough tournament and in order to win, they're going to have to upset the United States and Canada who hold the first and the second spots, while Australia, England and Japan are strong contenders as well.

"I think this tournament is going to be really competitive just because of the growth of lacrosse."