Shagbark Hickory

ONĘ́NǪGA:ˀGÓ:WAH

Shagbark Hickory

Carya ovata

Family: Sapindaceae

Native tree

Onę́nǫga:ˀgó:wah is preferred wood for lacrosse sticks. This is a very hard wood. It takes a lot of work to process this into lacrosse sticks. Lacrosse, the aggression of the game, the work it takes to process the wood, are means of channeling the energy and aggression young men in particular can carry. In the game, the lacrosse stick (Dewaoˀgahnyaˀ) is used to hold opponents at bay, or in controlled strikes, and we are very aware of where we place them on our opponent’s body. There is strength in the actions of playing lacrosse, and in the wood, and we impart that into our opponent as a medicine. At the same time we demonstrate care for each other by keeping the lacrosse sticks away from certain parts of the body. The sport is a means of maintaining social harmony and strengthening the community.

The place lacrosse holds in our community is so revered that miniature lacrosse sticks are given to male babies at birth. When we pass away, we are buried with our lacrosse sticks. The word gó:wah can be translated as “great” and we give this adjective to Onę́nǫga:ˀgó:wah because of the strength of the tree, the strength of the lacrosse stick we get from it and the importance lacrosse has to Gayogohó:nǫˀ.