Native Americans reclaim lacrosse

David Bezh Butler holds a shell bowl the size of a coconut in his palm, a fine line of smoke from burning herbs swirling into the air. One by one, he passes it among the 15 players of the Twin Cities Native Lacrosse team circled up on the Oxford Community Center field.

“This is for anyone who is bringing anything extra to the game,” says Mr. Butler, a self-described elder at the pickup match, as he leads the smudging ritual. “Whatever energy you bring to the game is what you get back.”

This ceremony, performed before each game, does more than set a mindful tone. It’s integral to what community lacrosse stands for here in the Twin Cities – home to one of the largest urban populations of American