by By Dan Ninham
International Indoor Junior Lacrosse (IIJL) recently announced in mid-July of 2020 the Anishinaabe Nation team was invited to be the ninth and final spot to compete in the 2021 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship. The event will be held in Winnipeg, Canada.
In a story by the Canadian Lacrosse League published on July 21, 2020: https://www.canadianlacrosseleague.com/news/anishinaabe-ninth-final-nation-competing-2021-wjlc Isaiah Kicknosway stated: “Competing at the 2021 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship is a historic opportunity for the Anishinaabe people of the Three Fires Confederacy and for our athletes to unite together for the first time in generations to compete on the international stage.”
“The Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Nations have a shared history in the Great Lakes region spanning generations,” added Kicknosway. “Treaties between the two great Confederacies have deep roots and highlight the mutual respect each have for the other. Iroquois’ mastery for the game and ability to consistency assemble competitive teams is the gold standard for lacrosse in the world,” continued Kicknosway, who is Anishinaabe and has played for the Iroquois Nationals at numerous championships.”
The 2020 World Junior Lacrosse Championship published this story highlighting the team: https://www.worldjuniorlacrossechampionship.com/nations/anishinaabe This article link is also an “Interest To Participate” form. “The Anishinaabe team is organized by Anishinabe Baagaadowewin founder Isaiah Kicknosway. The non-profit organization was recently founded in 2020 in Anishinaabe Territory. The mission is to educate and teach our culture and our history to others throughout the world and to represent by selecting players for the Anishinaabe lacrosse teams to represent the nations of the Three Fires Confederacy in international competition.”
Isaiah Kicknosway, 35, is the leader of the Anishinabe Baagaadowewin movement.
“My Indian name is Waasaawgeezik,” said Isaiah.
“I am Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi and a member of the Marten Clan,” said Isaiah. “My father’s lineage is from Hiawatha First Nation. Maternal grandfather is Pottawatomi and maternal grandmother is Odawa from Bkejwanong/Walpole Island.”
Isaiah began playing organized lacrosse at 13 years old in 1998. Club levels and years included Wallaceburg Red Devils – Jr B ‘02-’04; Six Nations Arrows – Jr A ‘04-‘06 and three-time Minto Cup Finalists.
He attended and played lacrosse at NJCAA Onondaga Community College. He was an NJCAA All American, on the NJCAA All Tournament Team, Region 3 Team, and two- time NJCAA National Champion in ’06 and ’07.
After junior college, he played with the Six Nations Chiefs – Sr A ‘07-’12; Six Nations Rivermen – Sr B Presidents Cup gold medalist ‘15 and silver medalist ’14; and St Regis Braves – Sr B Presidents Cup gold medalist ’12.
Isaiah played for the Iroquois Nationals during the 2010 and 2011 seasons and was on the team that earned the 2011 silver medal. He was also on the team that was not allowed into the United Kingdom due to the passport controversy.
Isaiah also played professionally with the MLL’s Toronto Nationals and various tournament teams in North America including the Ohsweken Aces and Six Nations field teams.
His playing experience included being in European tournaments. He played for the Kanawake Rapids in 2014 earning a gold medal in Prague, Czech Republic.
“My traditional values are shaped by spending time in the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge,” said Isaiah. “My parents brought our family to as many ceremonies as possible throughout the year. We travelled across Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario to participate in these ceremonies, listen to the teachings, and understand the history and culture of the Anishinabe people of The Three Fires. This gave me a foundation and point of view that drives me to reunite Anishinabe people through lacrosse.”
“In my teenage years I followed my desire to play lacrosse as much as possible,” said Isaiah. “I sacrificed attending ceremonies to further this dream to play competitively. I knew early on that there were limited opportunities for Anishinabe youth to play lacrosse. It was even more rare for a person growing up on an Anishinabe reservation and competing at higher levels of lacrosse.”
“By creating Anishinabe Baagaadowewin we can give more opportunities to Anishinabe youth to further their lacrosse careers, and gain knowledge about their culture and history,” said Isaiah. “The pride I felt representing the Iroquois Nationals was surreal and is something that few non-Haudenosaunee people get an opportunity to do. With Anishinabe Baagaadowewin, we can give that same connection to others and at the same time, teach culture, unite Anishinabe people, teach history, give youth legitimate goal along with many other positive benefits.”
The webpage for Anishinabe Baagaadowewin is located here: https://anishinabebaagaadowewin.org/
They are also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anishinabelax/
“As an athlete first and foremost my parent’s Bryan and Myrna have provided me support,” said Isaiah. “My mother has rheumatoid and osteoarthritis since before I was born. My father played junior hockey in his youth. They shaped my future by taking the time to take me and my four brothers to our sporting events.”
“Each one of my brothers also found success in sports,” said Isaiah. “My oldest brother Stacey played junior hockey and coached the Walpole Midget team to multiple and back-to-back All Ontario hockey championships. Gabe played junior hockey and won a Junior C championship. Jake played Junior ‘A’ Lacrosse and won a Minto Cup. Ben found success in the Ontario Varsity Football league.”
“All of the teams I’ve played on have had great people involved in each from teammates to coaches to management,” said Isaiah. “One of the biggest things that is overlooked in lacrosse that is not talked about enough is the lacrosse community of Six Nations of the Grand River. There are box lacrosse teams in every league in Ontario there. Sr A, Sr B, Sr C, Jr A, Jr B, Jr C multiple teams in each minor division, Masters lacrosse teams, girl’s box lacrosse teams, and Minor Pro teams including field lacrosse minor teams and girls and women’s also.”
“Every year quality professional players are produced,” said Isaiah. “Every team in every division is competitive, and championship teams either come from Six Nations or you have to beat a Six Nations team to win. NLL teams host training camps, practice and scrimmage out of the local arena. There are lacrosse legends that all continue to give back to the lacrosse community like nowhere else in the world. Any given night from April to August at the GPA, the ILA or a surround arena you’ll bump into people who have Ontario, Canadian, international or professional championships supporting the next generation.”
“The world lacrosse community needs to recognize how special of a place this is,” said Isaiah. “My life has been shaped by the amount of quality people I have met in my playing days there. For that I am forever blessed.”
“I’m a tragic character that had an underwhelming career,” said Isaiah.
“I grew up in an area that very few people played lacrosse,” said Isaiah. “I started lacrosse at 13 years old, which is almost 10 years behind others. My home in Bkejwanong I had few people to play with so I shot lacrosse balls at our plywood garbage container. Lost an unknown amount that bounced into the St. Clair River. We used to have an apple tree in our front yard and I would use my stick to throw them into the river until it was dark outside.”
“I got cut from my first year of junior lacrosse,” said Isaiah. “We won our county high school football championship and I had my dad drive me six hours to play in a 6v6 lacrosse tournament the next morning in Pennsylvania.”
“I lost three Minto Cups,” said Isaiah. “I scored a last second goal that would have won a game that was called back. I was recruited and admitted to a D1 school only to not spend a full day on campus. The head coach gave my scholarship away to another player over the phone as we were in traffic while driving me to the airport. I’ve been cut from teams over email and had management not return my phone calls to find out what other options I might have.”
“I’ve had governments deny our team opportunity to play at a world championship in 2010. If you’ve signed the petition for the Iroquois Nationals inclusion in the 2022 World Games you’ve seen my face. I’ve waited by my phone only to realize I’d been cut from an international team after reading about it on the Internet,” added Isaiah.
“I’ve had little success compared to my teammates given my late start to the game and disappointments in my career,” said Isaiah.
“I believe I’ve had enough experience to help the next generation of Anishinabe lacrosse players reach the highest level they can,” said Isaiah.
Photo Credit: Twin Cities Native Lacrosse
