A wooden stick made by Richard Francis Big Kettle of the Cattaraugus Territory is among the objects in Lacrosse: The Creator’s Game, a new exhibition opening Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The display sets a handcrafted stick, a wooden ball and old team photographs alongside modern jerseys and toys. It follows the game from Haudenosaunee communities to the leagues and college programs many Americans know today.
The Strong developed the exhibition with the Rochester Knighthawks, the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum and Ansley Jemison of Ganondagan, a member of the Seneca Nation’s Wolf Clan. The show runs through Feb. 21, 2027. The museum chose November, Native American Heritage Month, for its opening.
A game played for medicine
The Haudenosaunee Nationals describe lacrosse as a medicine game and a tradition that calls for courage, leadership and fair play. The team represents the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy in international competition. It took the name Haudenosaunee Nationals in 2022, replacing the older name it had used since its founding in 1983.
The exhibition includes Big Kettle’s handmade wooden stick and a wooden lacrosse ball from The Strong’s collection. The stick in the historical photograph above belongs to a separate museum collection and dates to about 1875 to 1885. Its wood and rawhide show how makers worked with materials long before mass-produced sticks. The McCord Stewart Museum lists its maker as unknown and its Haudenosaunee attribution as tentative.
College teams and the people early rules shut out
The exhibition follows the spread of organized lacrosse, including the rules William George Beers set down in 1869. The Strong says it also examines early rules and practices that excluded Indigenous players. The Haudenosaunee Nationals’ own history records their efforts to regain a place in international competition. The 1908 Columbia University team photograph on display shows one setting where the organized game took root, as a college sport in New York City.
The photos cover more than one version of the game. The exhibition includes a picture from a 1935 women’s tournament and a reproduction showing the Haudenosaunee Nationals women’s team scrimmaging at the World Games. A 1946 issue of Rochester Sports Magazine lists the roster of the local team then called the Rochester Iroquois. The newer objects include Knighthawks gear and artwork by Carson Waterman of the Seneca Nation’s Snipe Clan.
There is also an American Girl doll in a lacrosse uniform, a G.I. Joe with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse-playing Ken. Set beside the team photographs and sports equipment, the toys show how the game became part of play away from the field. Rochester’s professional club still has a local connection to the communities whose history the show tells. The Seneca Nation bought the Knighthawks in 2025 through its business subsidiary, Seneca Holdings.
Hours and tickets in Rochester
The exhibition opens to museum visitors Saturday, Nov. 14. The Strong lists its Saturday hours as 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. One-day general admission starts at $25, and children younger than 2 enter free. Children 15 or younger must be accompanied by someone who is at least 16. The museum posts its current hours and ticket options on the admission page.
Visitors with a SNAP EBT card and matching ID can buy general admission in person for $6 per person for the cardholder and up to three guests. The cardholder must be present. The museum also lists half-price general admission on Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. Eastern.
The museum is at One Manhattan Square in downtown Rochester. If you drive, the museum’s parking guide directs visitors to the garage entrance on Savannah Street. It lists a $7 rate per vehicle for museum guests who are not members and asks visitors to bring their parking ticket inside.
