Tribe, CMU Celebrates Inaugural Lacrosse Season
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe joined with the Central Michigan lacrosse program Friday in a ceremony celebrating the sport's inaugural season at CMU.
The ceremony, which took place minutes before the start of CMU's game with Jacksonville, included an Anishinabe blessing and smudging, which is employed to cleanse the mind, body and spirit and helps to prepare the ground for competition by purifying the surface.
Mino Ode Drum was incorporated into the special ceremony and Tribal Chief Frank Cloutier and Tribal Council Member Ronnie Ekdahl, a former CMU student-athlete, presented to CMU coach Sara Tisdale and team captains two traditional hand-made lacrosse sticks.
The game of lacrosse was created by Native Americans, and it is the newest varsity sport at CMU.
"You could really feel the emotion in that ceremony," said Tisdale, a CMU alumna. "We're really lucky to have this connection and we talk about wearing that name with pride. It's not just a Flying C. It's a nation that you represent and to see that almost play out in front of your eyes, that's really special."
The ceremony included an honorary opening draw after which CMU received the ball and shipped it to the sideline for historic keeping.