Six Nations Army

Normally I wouldn't post on the sport of lacrosse. I played it as briefly as a teenager, and it is Canada's national "summer" sport, but I really don't have much interest in it. But watching the highlights on the news tonight, I was fascinated by the number of nations entered in the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships in London, Ontario. There are teams from Spain, Bermuda, Czech Republic, Latvia, New Zealand, Wales, Hong Kong, and Japan. My first thought was, "how the f*%k do these countries have lacrosse teams?" But that was quickly erased by my second thought, which was, "Wait. Did I just see the words Iroquois Nation on that bracket?"

I sure did. And I'm still at a loss over this. How long have they been in the competition? Where are the players from? What is the impact of a non-sovereign nation from North America playing in an international tournament? How the hell is this team not kicking ass? At lastly, where can I get a jersey?

For those wanting to know some more about the Iroquois Nation and the sport of lacrosse, here are some interesting links:

• The team roster for the Iroquois Nation.

• A Wikipedia entry on the Iroquois.

• Gayanashagowa, the Iroquois Constitution.

• A Wikipedia entry on lacrosse.

• A great series of articles on Canada's National Game from the CBC.