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

Candace Maracle · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

In immoderate communities lacrosse sticks are placed adjacent to newborn babies by fathers who learned the crippled from their fathers, to walk connected the tradition; players connected this year's Haudenosaunee Nationals squad are nary exception.

Ranked 3rd successful the world, the squad is heading to South Korea for the World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship successful tract lacrosse successful 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 successful planetary tournaments.

It volition beryllium defenseman Rarihwenote Maracle's first clip wearing the Nationals' jersey connected an planetary stage. His brother Oneniotekowa Maracle and his father, Brent Maracle, besides played for the Nationals.

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

The 19-year-old said increasing up his 2 biggest teachers were his older member and his father.

He said his begetter taught him to play defensively, "how to support the house."  He said his brother, who plays offence, "tells maine what annoys him the astir ... what drives an violative subordinate crazy," to springiness him an borderline implicit his opponents.

Both brothers agreed the astir important skills that their begetter taught them are to person a beardown body, beardown mind, and beardown unity with their team.

Rarihwenote said a batch of his crippled is patience.

"I don't person to react, I conscionable person to deterioration you down," helium said.

"As a lighter player, I'm not going to beryllium capable to bully you, but I tin halt you from getting to the nett by staying successful beforehand of you and pushing connected your hips."

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

Backyard lacrosse

Rarihwenote's older brother, Oneniotekowa, 23, has played connected the Nationals improvement team. He said he's arrogant of his younger member and that they played backyard lacrosse increasing up with their begetter and younger brothers.

Their dad played for the Nationals from 1990-1995 and helium besides helped to commencement the development teams program.

"It's not conscionable a crippled to us," helium said.

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

He pointed retired that they're the smallest of each of the populations that are participating successful planetary lacrosse yet consistently fertile wrong the apical three.

Nationals alumnus Marty Ward, a subordinate of the Cherokee Nation, is the caput manager of the men's U20 team. He lives successful Florida and is caput manager of the Florida Southern College men's lacrosse squad successful Division 2 NCAA.

He said team cohesion is vital.

"We person the strongest radical that's committed to spell and vie for a golden medal," Ward said.

He said Rarihwenote's a versatile subordinate who does a bully occupation communicating with his teammates — truthful overmuch truthful helium wanted to enlistee him to Florida Southern.

Ward besides 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, archetypal suited up for the Nationals backmost successful 1999 and has since seen the crippled turn crossed Haudenosaunee communities and internationally.

He said it's going to beryllium a pugnacious tourney and successful bid to win, they're going to person to upset the United States and Canada who clasp the archetypal and the 2nd spots, portion Australia, England and Japan are beardown contenders arsenic well.

"I deliberation this tourney is going to beryllium truly competitory conscionable because of the maturation of lacrosse."