This is Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. Anishinaabek children living throughout the Great Lakes region learned from adults and from the environment. Family members and friends taught children skills needed to survive. Like all children, Anishinaabek youths loved to play games. Some games were individual, such as foot races or wrestling matches. Others were team games, such as baggataway or lacrosse, which was created by indigenous people. The name lacrosse originated with a French Jesuit missionary, Jean de Brebeuf, who saw Huron tribesmen playing it in 1637. He called it lacrosse, French for the stick. The name seems to have had its origins in the French term for field hockey, le Jeu de la Crosse. Native Americans played baggataway on a somewhat grander scale than the lacrosse games of today. Native American teams could number as many as 1,000 men, and the playing fields could be anywhere from a quarter mile to two miles in length. Native Americans also referred to baggataway as the little brother of war because it often resembled battle. Younger men learned the skills of war, including agility, endurance, and the use of a war club, by playing the getaway. Games sometimes resulted in injuries and even deaths and could last for days. Children would not play with adults, but they could practice on their own until they grew older. Many of the games Native children played prepared them for future roles in the tribe. For example, a boy who won many foot races might become a runner for his community, covering long distances to carry important messages to other villages. Young children would also compete in bow and arrow contests, which taught them critical hunting skills. Among the Native American tribes throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes region, learning was a way of life. Euro Americans in Canada adopted baggataway in the 1830s. In 1856, William Beers, a dentist, founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club and soon codified the rules. By 1900, lacrosse had spread to the United States, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Rosabelle Sinclair started the first women's club in the United States at Bryn Mawr School in 1926. Today, more than 800,000Americans play lacrosse. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.