
Halifax Thunderbirds honour Indigenous roots of lacrosse
CTV
The Halifax Thunderbirds hosted its annual Every Child Matters night Friday, which included a pre-game ceremony to draw attention to and honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
Lacrosse is more than just a game for Halifax Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson.
“This game is medicine, it’s known as the medicine game,” said Jamieson. “It teaches you a lot about yourself and a lot about life and kind of helps you work your way through things.”
Jamieson is one of five aboriginal players on the Thunderbirds roster, which is owned by Curt Styres, an Indigenous businessman from Six Nations, a First Nation reserve near Brantford, Ont.
Styres brought the lacrosse franchise to Halifax in 2019 after he moved the team from Rochester.
The Thunderbirds are dedicated to Indigenous causes and hosting its annual Every Child Matters night, which includes a pre-game ceremony to draw attention to and honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
The Thunderbirds also celebrated the Indigenous history and culture of the sport with a special halftime performance.
Jamieson said it’s important to share the history of the sport and when he’s not playing the game, he spends time going into schools and teaching lacrosse to youth.