First Nations Lacrosse Association

Sports governing body

First Nations Lacrosse AssociationSport| Lacrosse

|

Jurisdiction| Regional
Abbreviation| FNLA
Founded| 1983
Affiliation| Lacrosse Canada[1]
Affiliation date| 1988
Headquarters| Akwesasne, New York
President| James Rickard
Official website
firstnationslacrosse.com

First Nations Lacrosse Association (FNLA; formerly Iroquois Lacrosse Association) is a member of Lacrosse Canada with associations in both Canada and the United States centred in Native American Communities.

In addition to youth associations, the FNLA also sanctions three men's box lacrosse leagues: Can-Am Senior B Lacrosse League, Three Nations Senior Lacrosse League, and First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League.

The FNLA does not oversee the five Haudenosaunee Nationals international teams, the Haudenosaunee men's national lacrosse team, the Haudenosaunee men's national under-19 lacrosse team, the Haudenosaunee women's national lacrosse team, the Haudenosaunee women's national under-19 lacrosse team, and the Haudenosaunee national indoor lacrosse team. These teams are recognized by World Lacrosse for international competition, making them the only indigenous peoples' national teams sanctioned in any sport.

## Leagues

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* Can-Am Senior B Lacrosse League, founded in 1969 as North American Lacrosse Association,[2] was organized beginning in 1978. League winners compete for the Presidents Cup, the Senior B championship of North America. Can-Am teams have won the championship five times (1994, 1996, 2000, 2010, 2014).
* Formed in 1994, the Three Nations Senior Lacrosse League is a Senior B box lacrosse league. TNSLL teams compete for the Presidents Cup, winning the championship on five occasions (1994, 1995, 1997, 2011, 2012).
* First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League is a box lacrosse league formed in 2014 with the restructuring of the Canadian Lacrosse Association. Four teams competed in the inaugural season. In 2015 the league merged with the Montreal Junior Lacrosse League to form a seven-team league. The FNLA league winner earns a spot in the Founders Cup, the national championship of Junior B lacrosse in Canada.

## Haudenosaunee Nationals

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The Iroquois Nationals men's lacrosse team was formed and sanctioned by the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee in 1983 in preparation of friendlies at the NCAA championship in Baltimore, Maryland. The Nationals lost to Syracuse Orange 28-5 and Hobart College 22–14. Prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics, the Nationals held the Jim Thorpe Memorial Games and Pow-Wow, a 6-team event with local and international teams in Los Angeles. The Nationals achieved their first victory over the national team of England. The following year, using their Haudenosaunee passports, the Nationals traveled and toured England losing only once.[3]

After being denied membership by the ILF to compete in the 1986 World Games in Canada, the Iroquois hosted the teams for preliminary games at the University of Buffalo.[4] In 1988, the IFL accepted the Iroquois as a full member nation.[5]

The Iroquois Nationals took part in their first international competition at the 1990 World Lacrosse Championships, finishing fifth. The first FIL sanctioned U17 box lacrosse friendly took place between the Iroquois Nationals and Team Canada during the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.[6]

### Nike deal

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In 2006, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Program signed a partnership with Nike, Inc. in which Nike will provide the Nationals with their brand uniforms, clothing, footwear, and other equipment. The company is to develop programs to "promote wellness-and-fitness activities in Native American communities throughout the region", and team members may go to speak to local groups. Team members will also assist in testing of sustainable produced sportswear for Nike's research and development of processes to use non-toxic dyes and biodegradable organic cotton.[7]

Nike is the only Fortune 500 company to have such a relationship with a Native American organization, and the Iroquois Nationals are the only such group.[8]

### Passport issues

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The Nationals were unable to attend and compete in the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship in England as the United Kingdom does not accept their Iroquois passports. The Nationals were forced to forfeit their three preliminary games. In 2015, the Haudenosaunee Nationals women's under 19 team was forced to withdraw from the 2015 U19 World Lacrosse Championship in Scotland for the same reason.

### Name change

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In 2022, the team formally changed their name from the Iroquois Nationals to the Haudenosaunee Nationals, citing their desire to use the endonym for their people rather than an exonym used historically by enemy tribes and European colonists.[9]

### Field lacrosse

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The Haudenosaunee Nationals are the national team representing the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. First recognized by the Federation of International Lacrosse as a full member nation in 1987, the Nationals competed in their first tournament at the 1990 World Lacrosse Championship, finishing fifth.[10]

Awards

Event  | Member  | Award
2002 World Championships | Neal Powless | All World Team
2006 World Championships | Brent Bucktooth  | All World Team
2008 U19 World Championships | Emmett Printup  | All World Team - Attack
2008 U19 World Championships | Jason Johns  | All World Team - Defense
2012 U19 World Championships | Seth Oakes  | All World Team - Attack
2012 U19 World Championships | Lyle Thompson | All World Team - Midfield
2012 U19 World Championships | Warren Hill  | All World Team - Goalie
2014 World Championships | Lyle Thompson | All World Team - Attack
2014 World Championships | Jeremy Thompson | All World Team - Midfield
2016 U19 World Championships | Tehoka Nanticoke | Attack MVP
2016 U19 World Championships | Tehoka Nanticoke | All World Team - Attack
2016 U19 World Championships | Austin Staats | All World Team - Attack

#### Results

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Year  | Competition  | Result  | Notes

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|
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1990  | World Lacrosse Championship | 5th  |
1994  | World Lacrosse Championship | 5th  |
1998  | World Lacrosse Championship | 4th  |
2002  | World Lacrosse Championship | 4th  |
2006  | World Lacrosse Championship | 4th  |
2010  | World Lacrosse Championship | DNP  | Passport controversy[11]
2014  | World Lacrosse Championship | Bronze  |
2018  | World Lacrosse Championship | Bronze  | Passport delay[12]

### Box lacrosse

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World Indoor Lacrosse Championship Year  | GP | W | L | GF | GA | Final  | Finish

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|
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|
|
|
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2003 Canada | 7  | 5  | 2  | 126  | 81  | Lost to Canada 21-4  |
2007 Canada | 5  | 4  | 1  | 98  | 35  | Lost to Canada 15-14 (OT)  |
2011 Czech Republic | 5  | 4  | 1  | 84  | 37  | Lost to Canada 13-6  |
2015 Onondaga Nation | 6  | 4  | 2  | 84  | 48  | Lost to Canada 12-8  |
Totals  | 23  | 17  | 6  | 392  | 201  | 4 Silver Medals

#### 2015 WILC

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The Iroquois Nationals played host to the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships for the first time in the tournament's history. The event took place on Haudenosaunee Territories at Tsha’Hon’nonyen’dakhwa’ Onondaga Nation Arena and the Carrier Dome near Syracuse, as well as the First Niagara Center in Buffalo September 18–27, 2015.[13]

## See also

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* Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell, Iroquois Lacrosse Association founder[14]

## References

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1. ^ https://lacrosse.ca/content/member-associations\ Lacrosse Canada - Member Associatios
2. ^ "About Can-Am". Can-Am Lacrosse. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
3. ^ Price, S.L. (2010-07-19). "Pride of a Nation". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
4. ^ Lyons, Oren (September 29, 2015). "From Humble Beginnings in 1982, Iroquois Teams Are Now Among the World's Best". Florida Lacrosse News. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
5. ^ "FIL Members". Federation of International Lacrosse. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
6. ^ Vock, Casey. "Team Canada, Haudenosaunee Youth Players Shine at WILC U17 Box Exhibition". 3dRising.com. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
7. ^ Fryling, Kevin (2006-07-27). "Nike deal promotes Native American wellness, lacrosse". University of Buffalo Reporter. Archived from the original on 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
8. ^ Nikebiz.com (2006-05-04). "Nike Begins Historic Partnership With The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Organization". Press release. Nike, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
9. ^ "About Us – Haudenosaunee Nationals". Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
10. ^ "World Event History". Federation of International Lacrosse. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
11. ^ "Iroquois Defeated by Passport Dispute". New York Times. 16 July 2010.
12. ^ "IROQUOIS NATIONALS PASSPORTS HONORED AFTER DELAY IN TRAVEL TO WORLD GAMES IROQUOIS TAKE ON USA IN OPENING SHOOTOUT" (Press release). Netanya, Israel: Iroquois Nationals. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
13. ^ "WILC 2015 – Opening Day". Federation of International Lacrosse. 19 September 2015.
14. ^ "CLA Recognizes Micheal 'Kanentakeron' Mitchell with the Prestigious Lester B. Pearson Award". Canadian Lacrosse Association. Retrieved 5 May 2017.

## External links

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* Iroquois Nationals
* First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League
* @FirstNationsLax Twitter