RAPID CITY, S.D. – Stick and ball games are a cornerstone of nearly every Native American culture. The Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB) is keeping with that tradition with its second annual lacrosse camp to tackle modern behavioral health crises.
Players of all ages were at Rapid City’s College Park Friday and Saturday. The two-day gathering served as a dynamic tool for community healing and suicide prevention.
“It’s the medicine game, it’s the healing game, and so our people have played it for hundreds of years,” said Kevin Decora of the Community Behavioral Health department at the Oyate Health Center, the Rapid City-based hospital operated by the GPTLHB.
While modern lacrosse traces its roots to the East Coast, following Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) traditions, the Oceti Sakowin (the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota people) have used their own distinct style for generations. Decora explained that the traditional game relies on a shorter one-handed stick design, different from modern or global versions seen in collegiate sports or the Olympics.
“It teaches respect, responsibility, positive mental health, keeps you in good shape,” Decora said, “These are actually used for one-handed, for a reason. It has to do with teachings of utilizing a war club.”
The lacrosse camp was less about competitive league play and more about holistic community wellness. Throughout the weekend, participants listened to several speakers in between games, covering topics like alcohol abuse, drug prevention, and the importance of keeping Native culture alive after centuries of persecution.
Sixteen-year-old James Miller made the trek to Rapid City from Waubay, South Dakota, alongside his family. Miller, who has been playing the sport for a decade, said the traditional game connects him directly to his ancestry.
“To me, I feel like it kind of represents me and my family, because it’s more of a family tradition,” Miller said, “I always hold my mom and my grandparents in my heart all the time when I play. It’s more spiritual than competitive. I play to have fun… and it’s more like healing me more when I play.”
Still, the game maintains its historically rugged edge. Miller shared some advice with NewsCenter1 that he says can be used both in the game of lacrosse and the game of life.
“You got to learn to like handle what you put out, you know,” Miller added, “If you’re gonna truck people over, you gotta be able to get trucked.”
Funding for the program was provided in part by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through a project called “Connecting with Our Youth.” Keaton Widow, the project director, said the program specifically targets youth up to age 24, pulling in families and community leaders to create wraparound support systems.
“This game was given to us and built through it and helped us exist and find peace a long time ago,” Widow said, “Even now we find peace, because we’re all fighting in the battle in different ways. This is where we find that peace again.”
In the coming weeks, the Community Behavioral Health department’s Tribal Opioid Response team will partner with the Rapid City Police Department to host a downtown youth basketball tournament called “Main Street Madness.” The health board also plans to launch traditional archery programs.
For those looking to stay on the field, weekly traditional community lacrosse nights will continue every Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oyate Center, located at Lakota Homes in north Rapid City. The weekly sessions open June 8 and will run through September 7, welcoming all age groups to gather, play, and heal as a community.
Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.