Native American Pastimes and Sports
Long before Europeans colonized the New World，Native Americans led physically active lives in pursuits necessary to their sustenance and religious beliefs.They used their fishing and hunting prowess for field sports.Indigenous peoples in their native societies swam and canoed along waterways as ameans of passage，and children learned to swim at an early age.Fishing，as well as hunting with a bow and arrow，provided food，and hunting also served military purposes in times ofwar.The practice of archery also involved training games and competitions.
Running also served utilitarian purposes，as when messengers needed to search for food，deliver goods，or carry news ofwar or other important events between tribes.Iroquois runners in the Northeast could cover 240 miles（385 kilometers）of their tribal network over a three-day period.In the Southwest，Native American tribes integrated running into cultural practices.Running also held religious significance for the tribes of the Southwest.Both males and females engaged in kickball races that required the continuous propulsion of a ball over a long course in a contest of skill and stamina.
Humans'need to delivermessages on foot diminished when European explorers introduced the horse to North America in the Columbian Exchange3.Native Americans considered the horse to be a sacred animal and treasured it accordingly as a prized possession.Members of tribes of theWestern plains became skilled equestrians，and bothmen and women engaged in horse raceswithin their own tribes and against other clans.Races often covered 3 or 4miles，and winning riders gained considerable prestige and material goods.
The most prominent competition in Native American culture was lacrosse4.Played throughout the North American continent，lacrosse wentbeyond Native American everyday life as amagical，religious，ritualistic activity—and as a pragmatic one，providing training for war.Top lacrosse players won esteem，and upon death some were even buried with their lacrosse sticks.Players wore no protective equipment and sometimes competed in the nude，like ancient Greek Olympians.Lacrosse games tended to be a communal activity，with participants encouraged by drummers and chanting women.Gambling on games involved substantial wagers.In 1794，the Seneca and Mohawk tribes（members of the Iroquois Confederacy）settled a land dispute bymeans of a lacrosse game.A 1797 rematch featured 500 players per side，with 60 from each tribe engaged in the game at one time.In the Huron tribe of the Northeast，players bet not only theirmaterial goods but also their own wives，children，and personal freedom.Losersmight also forfeit their hair or even their little finger.Not surprisingly，such conditions led to furious and sometimes deadly contests.Differingmoral attitudes and the imposition of white standards led to bans on gambling，the required wearing of Western-style clothing，and harassment by Christian missionaries of native tribes who played lacrosse on Sundays rather than attend church services.
6-1 Native American Lacrosse 1
6-2 Lacrosse Sticks