Freeman Bucktooth (Onondaga): The Circle Is Being Completed With The Bucktooth Family Tradition of Lacrosse

By Dan Ninham (Oneida)

Freeman Bucktooth, Jr. is from the Onondaga Nation just south of Syracuse, New York. He is one of several patriarchs of lacrosse families among the Iroquois people. Freeman continues to follow and make the circle of lacrosse development and competition happen at home and internationally.

“I led the Onondaga Warriors in scoring 1973-1984,” said Freeman. “In 1975 I had scored 19 goals in one game. I had 3 taken away, once in the crease, one of our guys left the penalty box 4 seconds too early and the ref gave me the assist instead of the goal. I captained the Warriors for 11 years. I made the all star in the CanAm for 11 years. I was selected to the Canadian President Team in 1983. I rejuvenated the Onondaga minor teams in 1983 where we won numerous tournaments through out the US and Canada.”

Freeman’s coaching resume’ includes all levels: “I was a player/coach for the Onondaga Warriors from 1980-85 and Onondaga Warriors minors and Seniors 1984-2010. I coached at LaFayette HS during 1994-97, took a team that was 1-35 the last two years before I took over. My first year we went 9-9 and that’s starting two eighth graders, and two ninth and tenth graders on the varsity team,” said Freeman. 

Freeman coached the Syracuse Pro team 2006-2007 and Rochester Knighthawks 2008-2009. He also coached the Iroquois Nationals 1996, 1999, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2016. 

He also directed and was involved in numerous youth skills clinics for the past several decades.

Cultural Lessons Growing Up With Lacrosse

“I grew up approximately one mile from the Onondaga Nation School that I attended,” said Freeman Bucktooth.  “I attended K thru 6th grade. There was a lot that happened walking to school and back home each day. During certain times of the year a group of us kids would take our fishing poles to school and after school we would go fishing along the creek which was about a quarter mile off the road.  We would also have races running home and we would also have our lacrosse sticks playing catch on each side of the road passing back and forth. During that stretch we used to play marbles and as all young kids there would be a fight at least once a week. But no matter what win or lose we were still all friends and family.”

“A lot of times after dinner we would go and play lacrosse.  In a lot of backyards there were makeshift goals that we would build and use.  During these games there would be an occasional scrum but after each scrum we would continue to play.  Different areas in our territory composed of teams of the area you grew up in. My team was on the north end and we had the central, the south end and a road that broke off the main road called Hemlock. So, we also had the Hemlockers. Usually once every two weeks we would have lacrosse games.  We would go to the nation outdoor dirt floor lacrosse box and compete against each other. It was known and ‘The Box’. The box dimensions were 200 feet by 90 feet. It was like a hockey rink. Inside our lacrosse box there was no grass to be found except along the boards because it was used too much.  There were four teams that used the box from the community. One team was the old timers which were 40 and above. Another team was the senior team of 18 to late 30 years of age. Also, our junior team included 13-18 year olds. We also had a peewee team which consisted of players 12 and under,” recalled Freeman.

“As kids we used to go watch our fathers, uncles, cousins on the men’s team play lacrosse,” said Freeman.  “Many of the men were high steel workers. Back in the day they were all good leaders with a strong winning team.  I used to enjoy watching my father play traveling to different territories. As I grew up my father had a big influence on me.  In my younger days I was not what you call a well-behaved kid as I was always getting into some sort of mischief and trouble. When it got back to my father I was disciplined as children were back then.  But being strong headed and strong willed, I continued this path of finding myself being disciplined repeatedly. Of all the misbehaving, I did not cross the line of being disrespectful to my elders.”

“During my junior high years in school I was in numerous altercations as we moved from an all Native school to a school of mixed nationalities. I was in 9th grade and a senior in our school approached me who stopped me in the hallway and give me a stern talking to. One of the things he said to me that I always remember is, ‘When are you going to grow up?  You are an embarrassment to our people.’ He finished that by saying that I am a very good athlete and leader. He asked me which path I was going to follow. After he said that, I was angry but I did not say anything to him and gave him respect he deserved for saying that to me. The following year in tenth grade I make the varsity lacrosse team that was a very talented team.  I did not start I got a lot of playing time and we won the championship. The next year as a junior and second year varsity we won the championship and I made the all-upstate New York team. My senior year I had repeat honors in both football and lacrosse. Let me jump back a year as a junior walking off the lacrosse field I was approached by the SU lacrosse coach where he offered me a scholarship for the following year.  As he was talking to me offering me a scholarship for the following year I had a brief chuckle. I asked him, ‘do I have to finish high school first?’ We both laughed for he thought I was a senior. So, after completing high school I went to Syracuse University. I only completed two and a half years,” added Freeman.  

“My grandmother was a clan mother that held a lot of respect throughout the whole Iroquois Confederacy,” said Freeman.  “My grandmother was born in to the hawk clan but was adopted into the turtle clan for the nation needed a clan mother for the turtle clan.  The clan mother holds a very high position in our matriarch culture where she chooses the chief she wants to represent her clan. On the other side my grandfather was a chief.  This is a great honor that speaks very highly of him as he is condoled into this position unanimously by all the other 49 other chiefs.” 

“Growing up we didn’t have a lot,” said Freeman.  “One thing I will never forget is having dinner at my grandparents one evening.  My grandparents, my aunt and uncle and myself had dinner. My grandmother saw visitors coming then took the meat off our plates and re-cut it into eight equal pieces.  When she answered the door and said, ‘come on in, you are just in time.’ We all sat down to a good meal. This taught me no matter how little you have you always make it enough for all.”

“I always give thanks for and am grateful for what the Creator has provided for us.  I always give away the first deer and the fish I catch with the elders in our community.  This trait of hunting and fishing I have passed on to my sons and they to my grandchildren. Even to the point that they too share their catch with community members and family.   This was told to me by several elders that this is something our people always did, and they were very grateful to accept these gifts. I am proud to see my sons are passing this along as well.  This is the gift of sharing,” said Freeman. 

“When my boys started school, I began a youth program,” said Freeman.  “We now have a complete minor system including Peanuts 3-6, Tykes 7-8, Novice 9-10, Peewees 11-12, Bantams 13-14, Midgets 15-16, Intermediates 17-18, and Juniors 19-21.  Now my sons have gone through the program and now are playing with what we call the old-timers 35 and older. The circle is being completed and my sons are now giving back and coaching their children.”

The Family Tradition of Bucktooth Lacrosse

Freeman reflected on his dad Freeman, Sr.: “My father was, from what I heard, one of the strongest, toughest guys in the league that he played in. He played defense but was one of the higher scoring D-men. Our father took my brothers and me to most of his lacrosse games where we would have pick-up games with other kids that were there to watch their fathers play. We would find a spot next to the box and play while the game with our fathers played inside the box. Our father always made sure that we were well taken care of when it came to sports with lacrosse, football, baseball and downhill skiing. We also did a lot of pond hockey. We grew up with him, my uncles and grandfather hunting and fishing.

“I am very proud of all of our daughter Nikki and our son’s as they all have good jobs and above all, they put their children FIRST,” said Freeman. “Yes, it is very easy to see that FAMILY comes FIRST. I’ve had numerous people ask me, and compliment me on how well mannered and respectful our kids are. My answer has been, they’ve got a great MOM.”

Just as Freeman is the patriarch of the Bucktooth family lacrosse, the matriarch is Joni Bucktooth. “I grew up going to lacrosse games on the Onondaga Nation with my family and grandparents,” said Joni Bucktooth, Freeman’s wife.  “We also traveled to other nations for games.  My father was not a player for he was sent to an Indian boarding school at a very young age and did not have the opportunities to grow up with the game but enjoyed watching other family members play.” 

“I grew up knowing that women are not allowed to play lacrosse for it is a medicine game for men to play.  I believe the girl’s game is not the same game.  It is quite different.  The rules, the physical contact and the stick are not the same,” added Joni.

“I greatly respect and am very proud of our culture and traditions but I also understand the frustrations of a female atheist frowned on when they pick up a lacrosse stick,” said Joni.  “Lacrosse is a door opener for men and women for higher education.  I believe as Natives we have to hold tight to our culture and tradition but also have to do our best to understand the world beyond through education.”

“One of my uncle’s gifted me a lacrosse stick when I was 13 years old.  I would have loved to play but girls were not involved in lacrosse in those years.  I would play catch shooting the ball against the brick chimney outside our home. In high school we did have a lacrosse unit. In our first ‘game’ during gym class I shot at the net and hit another girl with the ball straight in the eye.  Needless to say that was the end of that unit,” added Joni.

“The boys always look forward to the lacrosse season for the first ‘medicine game,’” said Joni.  The whole community comes together for this game.  Grandfathers play along with sons and grandchildren.  All the lacrosse men and boys of all ages take the field together with just a wooden stick, some no shoes.  There could be anywhere from 80-140 players on the field all with wooden sticks. They play until one team reaches three goals.  During the last medicine game Freeman, my sons and my grand boys took the field together.  It is a fun game to watch.  This medicine game is played to help keep the players safe and in a good mind while they compete.”

“Our daughter didn’t play lacrosse, she was a hockey player which is more physical then a girls lacrosse game.  She and I would both play catch with the boys and even play with them in a little game in our yard,” added Joni.  

“When the boys were young at the end of lacrosse season, I would go through the house and put the lacrosse sticks and equipment away and get out the hockey gear,” said Joni.  “They would get home from school and as, ‘where is my lacrosse stick?’  I would say lacrosse season is over, pick up your hockey sticks.  They would grab the hockey sticks and back out the door to the black top.  They were outside everyday whether on the black top with sticks or in the woods.”  

“All through their lacrosse years from minors to juniors right up to the men’s teams it was not surprising to hear the announcer announce a goal by saying Bucktooth from Bucktooth from Bucktooth.  Now our children are busy getting my grandchildren to softball, basketball, hockey and lacrosse games and I try my best to be there to cheer them on.  I am proud of the people my children have grown up to be.  I have met many lifetime good friends through lacrosse and are very fortunate and grateful for the game the creator has given us,” added Joni.

“The first thing you should know about my father is that he is a man of principle,” said son Drew. “If he says something, he means it. Every team he coached, it didn’t matter if it was the 4-6 year olds or the men’s team he preached the same list of priorities to each of them. Number one on the list was always FAMILY, next on the list was WORK/SCHOOL, third on the list was LACROSSE. That’s the list of priorities so many kids from Onondaga grew up with. Like I said earlier, my father is a man of principle so his teams had structure, they had rules & one of the rules was the only thing you were allowed to miss lacrosse practice for was something family or work/school related. When he was coaching the junior team (under 21) one of the players skipped a practice. A few days later we had a game in Canada. In box lacrosse you’re allowed to dress 18 players and two goalies, due to injuries we only had 16 players for that game. Right before the game started my dad told the player who missed practice to take he’s pads off because he wasn’t in the lineup for the game. We already didn’t have enough players for a full roster but he would rather play even more short-handed than let a guy play who broke the team rules. That was one of the many times he taught us about accepting the consequences of our actions, about making responsible choices, about being accountable and being a reliable teammate. It was important to him for us to carry those traits with us on and off the lacrosse floor.”

“I began playing lacrosse when I was 3 years old,” said son Brett Bucktooth. “In a game where we are taught to honor the gift from our Creator by playing with a Good Mind and fair play, there’s much more being taught on the floor. Lacrosse is physically and mentally demanding. One of the first rules playing at The Box was: No crying inside the box. Part of the unwritten rules were if you were hurt you ’walked it off’. One of my father’s biggest fundamentals for his players was to be disciplined, to work hard and play tough. Those were some of the characteristics that described him and he passed on those attributes to his players.” 

“The other rule was if you were responsible for a ball going out of the playing area you had to go find it. Think of the movie The Sandlot. We played at an outdoor ‘arena’ and sometimes you had to search for your ball in the pickers, poison ivy or the nearby creek,” added Brett. 

“My father was my coach as he was to many others,” said Brett. “He was also a father figure to many young players. As we began to mature into young men he stressed three important guidelines: 

1. Family
2. Work and/or Education
3. Lacrosse

“Family being the most important in life. Family is your foundation and support. Always back up your family. Providing love and support will be your guiding light and your roots. While work can provide a means to provide financially, by leading by example you became an excellent role model by being a hard worker. My father was a hard worker at his occupation and he was a hard worker on the floor. He gained respect among his peers and in his community.  Lacrosse is what we love and what we enjoy playing. I was taught to respect the game, my coaches, teammates and opponents. The same can be said in life. Respect for you friends, co-workers and those you have yet to know,” added Brett. 

“It’s these principles that have guided me and what my father has instilled into his teams,” said Brett. “The teams he’s coached ranged from beginner (3 yrs. old) to the professional level and our National team: Iroquois Nationals. When he steps in the room you know he’s there because he has a presence that can’t be put in words. When he speaks everyone listens. I think it’s with the principles and values he’s lived by he’s put into his coaching and that’s part of the reason he’s been very successful. His success has lead to many Coach of Year accolades and team championships. He was the head coach for the first ever medal won at the World Games for any Iroquois National team. In 1999 the U-19 team won Bronze. In 2012 he was the head coach for the first Iroquois team that beat USA. I am thankful to have had him a coach and he still gives me pointers and advice. I am proud to have him as my father.”

“I believe one of the most fundamental principles I’ve learned came not from success but from the ability to get back up,” said daughter Nikki Bucktooth. “Rise and try again. If you don’t fall you’re not trying hard enough.” 

Former Teammates, Opponents and Fellow Coaches Reflections of Boss

I had the privilege of playing with Freeman early on in my career during the early 1980’s,” said Scott Lyons. “I was fresh out of high school and began playing for the Onondaga Athletic Club where Freeman was already one of the premier players of the organization as well as the league. He was an all-star and led the league in scoring multiple times. Now, I must let you know that trying to pick out ONE instance where Freeman exhibited excellence during a Lacrosse game is no easy task as he truly did it all – as a player, a coach, and an ambassador of the game. Adequately nicknamed Boss, he was the complete player.”

“He could play the game any way you wanted. In an era where you could actually still play defense, Boss excelled at both ends of the box. He displayed his heart, and his will to win, game in and game out. He was a tough guy that could score, and score he did. Perhaps the memory that stands out for me however is one where his unselfishness took center stage. During a particularly close game at the Onondaga County War Memorial, with longtime arch rival Six Nation chiefs, the score was tied with under a minute left in regulation time. Getting possession of the ball, Boss quickly called a time out and gathered the team at the bench. It was here that he positioned his line mates to where he wanted them and what their role would be for a last second shot. Boss would have control of the ball once play resumed and he instinctively knew he would draw more than one defensemen’s attention. By taking the ball on his weak side toward the corner, and spinning back to his strong side, his size and speed would allow him enough time to pass the ball to legendary goal scorer Mike Cornelius standing alone on the crease. This is exactly how he drew it up and this is exactly how the game ended. I have not seen one player, one leader, take over a game and decide the outcome like that since. Truly remarkable,” added Scott.

“I first met Freeman Bucktooth when I joined the Iroquois Nationals Coaching Staff in 2008,” said Bob Leary, Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at Marian University (WI). “I had heard he was one of the all time greats from Onondaga.”

“Bossy has been a tremendous resource for me as a coach, just as he has been for countless Iroquois from the younger beginners all the way to the Nationals. Just recently, as the Nationals were making final selections for the U19 team, Bossy could be seen helping U13, U15, and U18 in addition to the tryouts. He never asks a thing but always is willing to help. In the middle of all this, Bossy came over drew me a quick play on a piece of scrap paper and went back to coaching the youngsters. That’s the kind of guy he is. He has a lot of wisdom and he’s happy to share it.  I’m not sure if everyone knows all he does for the people and the game, but he is invaluable!” 

Dave Bray, former Iroquois Nationals General Manager reflected: “Freeman ‘Boss’ Bucktooth is from the Onondaga Nation while I’m from the Seneca Nation.  Despite being from different Native communities approximately 200 miles apart, we have known each other most of our lives through the game of lacrosse in our younger years and later through our hunting and fishing experiences together.  A common premise for Freeman is family and friendships are very important while always inspiring to do the best you can at whatever your doing!  He is almost always in “coaching mode” helping family and friends navigate whatever is happening.  

Freeman has always had a strong passion on learning various aspects and nuances of the game of lacrosse and most importunately sharing what he has learned while coaching.  In lacrosse, he continues to leave an indelible mark from his playing days through his coaching days receiving multiple accolades. Among those accolades are multiple league leading scoring years, MVP Awards, coaching Onondaga Redhawks Presidents Cup Championship team, coaching Iroquois Nations U-19 Bronze medal team in World lacrosse, and the Cam Am League Hall of Fame.  Currently, Freeman continues to be on the Iroquois Nationals Board of Directors and the General Manager of the Under 19 team traveling to Limerick, Ireland in July 2020.” 

“Suffice to say, Freeman continues to leave his fingerprints on the next generation of Native lacrosse players who may have the opportunity to play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles,” added Dave. 

“One story I would like to share about Freeman is that when he was a teenager, he traveled during the summer months with youth and elders on the White Roots of Peace caravan,” said Dave.  “In the 1970’s, this was somewhat of a summer tradition that a traditional Indian educational caravan traveled across North America to other western Indian communities and to various colleges and universities. The traveling group was called the White Roots of Peace, a name that is referred to in the teachings of the Haudenosaunee longhouses.”

“The group was mostly comprised of elders and youth from Onondaga and Akwesasne and other communities, with various helpers associated with Akwesasne Notes newspaper. Their message was to remind Indian people to value their traditional language, ceremonies and knowledge and to remind young people to care for the knowledge of the elders and for the need of the elders. It was a message that came straight from the chiefs and the clan mothers of the Haudenosaunee clans. The message was principally about self-sufficiency and about better understanding Haudenosaunee teachings,” added Dave.  

“When Freeman’s family was becoming of teenage years, the White Roots of Peace was not so active, so he and his young family planned a journey of their own,” said Dave.  “They keyed in on stopping at traditional Native communities out west.  His teenage sons were all lacrosse players and like many young Native lacrosse player always carried their sticks with them.”

“Suffice to say, at one stop at a mesa in a New Mexico pueblo community the boys brought out their sticks and were playing catch and other youth soon gathered to watch.  Freeman and the Bucktooth boys took the opportunity to share the game of lacrosse with them.  The Bucktooth boys and Freeman soon brought out their #2 sticks and began showing them how to catch and throw on top of the mesa.  The pueblo kids and the Bucktooth’s had a great afternoon sharing the game of lacrosse,” said Dave.  

“Soon, word got out at the pueblo and the Bucktooth’s were summoned to a person’s residence,” said Dave.  “While Freeman and his family didn’t exactly know what the request was about, they complied and surprisingly met an elder woman who grew up at Onondaga but married someone from the pueblo.  The Bucktooth family ate a hearty dinner there evening and stayed the night before continuing their own ‘mini’ White Roots of Peace caravan sharing Haudenosaunee teachings along the way.  The youth continued playing after dinner until it was too dark to play anymore.”  

“Freeman Bucktooth is a very good friend of mine,” said Mark Burnam.  “I have coached with him and for him both as a assistant in past teams and currently under his guidance as the head U19 GM for the Iroquois National U19 team. I’ve been on the staff with him for quite a while now and seen him in a lot of different lights! He tells it like it is and has always shown a lot of positive reinforcement for our youth lacrosse players. He is always first to volunteer or give a helping hand in teaching our youth and has been doing it for over 30 years now. It is his passion that I feel makes him relate to the kids and it shows when he talks when he competes and when he coaches. I’ve seen it numerous times he’s is Always fair and always a positive reinforcement. He is so willing to teach the young who are willing to learn. He will at a blink of a eye talk to the kids about learning and playing the game the way he was taught…. which is always respect your coach and try to give it your best. He has been a positive role model for kids in our communities for decades and it’s a pleasure to see it still.”

“I’m 67 years old from Seneca territory, Cattaraugus Reservation,” said Larry Issac. “I like to share my experience when I played Sr. B lacrosse against Bossy. I’ve known Bossy long before that. Bossy always conducted himself positively and respectfully on and off the lacrosse floor. He was an awesome player on that left side. He had the size and skills that made him a threat as a transitional player. He was the captain on the Onondaga A team. I respected Bossy as a player and coach, and especially as a good friend off the floor.”

“I played against Freeman a number of years,” said Evan Thomas. “He was a tough, hard playing and very talented lacrosse player, but in the same regards a gentleman off the floor.  I haven’t seen Freeman in a few years but we stay in touch through social media.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for freeman on or off the lacrosse floor.  I have seen pictures of Freeman working with the kids teams, I am sure he is a good coach with his knowledge and traditional respect for the game.”

Michael “Kanentakeron” Mitchell reflected on the communities of lacrosse coming together to work their differences out: “I belong to the wolf clan and I am one of the Faith keepers in the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation Longhouse. Since the early 80’s, I’ve also had the privilege of serving the Canadian portion of Akwesasne as Grand Chief for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. My community of Akwesasne is a multijurisdictional reservation that touches the external borders of the United States and Canada and as well the provincial borders of Ontario and Quebec and the New York State. The story I want to tell goes back to the period of the late eighties and early nineties when a violent conflict occurred in the Akwesasne Mohawk territory that involved unregulated casino gambling. In as much as there was great tragic ending with a multi-jurisdictional police occupation, the recovery from this incident also needs to be told for it evolved into a healing process that had a unique approach for community healing that touched all dimensions of Mohawk cultural life.” 

“My story is also about Freeman “Boss” Bucktooth from Onondaga, and his connection to the game of lacrosse. I have known Freeman Bucktooth from Onondaga for over forty years, first as opponents in lacrosse games and also as friends in our Hotinonshonni world. I want to begin by saying that all of Freeman’s friends call him “Boss” so that’s what I shall be calling him in my story. We called on Boss and a few other Onondaga lacrosse players and invited them play in a new senior over 35 lacrosse league in Akwesasne, it was initiated for the purpose of healing our community from all the dividing impacts on residents polarized from the dispute over the casino gambling feud that came to a violent conclusion. The violence in the community was so intense that it resulted in destruction of property, gun fire exchange and finally deaths before peace was restored but inside our community residents household, the anger and hatred was still lingering with disputing families and at times even within the families themselves that led to father against son or daughter, brother against brother, the negative impacts were felt everywhere,” added Mike.

“The anger and hatred that existed in our community over unregulated casino gambling had left a scar so deep that many families would not speak to their neighbors or relatives who differed in their views,” said Mike. “External governments dispatched professional mediators’ and councillors to come to Akwesasne and initiate dialogue and communication among the affected Mohawk families, but hardly anyone would agree to go to meet with the external mediator experts. It took some of our past lacrosse players to come up with a homegrown solution. Ernie Mitchell came up with the idea of an over 35 senior lacrosse league with former lacrosse players agreeing to play one more time under the rules of the new lacrosse league. The organizers had collected enough names to form six teams.”

“Some of the earlier expectations were that there might be teams for Pro Gamblers, the Anti Gamblers, the Warrior’s Society, the Traditional Longhouse, Elected Tribal Chiefs followers and so on. None of this however would come to reality when everyone was informed that the eighty something number of players that signed up would have their names put in a paper bag and had to commit to play on the team that drew their names. This resulted in some of the former enemies being selected to play on the same team, which further led to a great rebuff among themselves but the organizers stuck to their position that all the players names would be put in a draw system and every player would have to agree to play for whatever team that they were picked to play, so the league started operating with this unique formula. There were some awkward moments between former enemies when they played as a team but once a goal was scored, it resulted in a celebration of players giving high fives to each other so the traditional ancient healing game of lacrosse led to players speaking to each other once again, as did their families who were cheering from the stands,” added Mike.  

“The invitation from the league organizers to players from the Onondaga reservation becomes an important element in our story,” said Mike. “Although the league schedule had started, there were still some hurtful and angry feelings among the players but because ‘Boss’ Bucktooth and other players from Onondaga were not part of the conflict, they were welcome by all the players on the league teams.  Boss utilized his traditional upbringing and leadership skills to initiate dialogue between players that had not been made possible from other external organizations. Boss had always been one of the elite players from Onondaga and was greatly respected by other players in Akwesasne. One other Onondaga player that contributed to the success of the new league was lacrosse legend Oliver “Lover” Hill. The seed was planted for the players to heal themselves by playing the “Creators Game” and started the process of becoming one people again.” 

“I am proud to say that our sons Drew (grandson’s Blake, Gavin, Dylan), Brett (grandson Brett Jr.), Grant (grandchildren Locklan, Kian, Sawyer), Tyler (grandson Ozzy ) all have their sons playing lacrosse and hockey where they are coaching and teaching the Creators Game. Yes, I would say, The CIRCLE is being made. I am very proud of these young men. Our daughter Nikki is also involved with her son Hajistagehdee. Nikki also has her daughters Josie, Ellie and Emma playing lacrosse, hockey and gymnastics. I am very, very proud of my FAMILY,” added Freeman.