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Marie Rock: For Minnesota Native News, I'm Marie Rock. This week, we revisit producer Emma Needham's interview with Bryan Bosto, who was recently inducted into the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame for the work he has done in growing the game in Native communities.
Bryan Bosto: Yeah, my name is Bryan Bosto, Bryan "Bear" Bosto. I grew up as everyone called me Bear. So, I'm from Fond du Lac. We started the lacrosse camp, Lax-4-Life camp, back in the summer of 2010. Even our own communities didn't even know that lacrosse was originally a Native sport, or now it's referred to as baaga'adowewin. In that first year, we had 37 boys from five different communities. tribal communities, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage. I think we had White Earth at the time and then we had Red Lake as well. Everyone got their lacrosse sticks that first year and that became the standard that every kid that showed up would walk away with a modern lacrosse stick. Then that second year that we happened to do that, we focused mostly on the modern game, how to play the modern sport. But we didn't focus on that too. We focused on mental health, suicide discussions, healthy habits. So, it wasn't just a physical camp, it was we we're building these kids up with all these healthy decision making processes.
I was able to sit on the Northern Siege Youth Lacrosse Association in 2015 to 2022. Was also the board chair for Homegrown Lacrosse out of Minneapolis. Our discussions about what we're doing here, like the baaga'adowewin and how to get this sport back into tribal communities. Those discussions with Homegrown, we were able to create Indigenous Lacrosse Alliance. So that partnership since 2022 with Homegrown Indigenous Lacrosse Alliance, we were able to solidify all Native coaching staff. So, there's a good core 20 people that are coaching, Native coaches from a wide range of backgrounds, a wide range of expertise. And the one thing that I really love about that is because these guys know what it's like growing up in tribal communities and they can connect with our kids here.
Emma Needham: What would you say makes Lacrosse so special?
Bryan Bosto: So, we're, especially the last 10 years, 5 to 10 years, we've been really focused on reclaiming our story, our history. And by doing that, the spread of baaga'adowewin in our communities has just blown up. The last 16 years, never would I have thought that lacrosse would have been a passion of mine to push for the kids that we service. But never would I have thought that it would have become so connected to our communities that this is really a part of our history that we forgot. And to be a part of that, to reclaim that identity and share that with our kids, that's that's amazing. Because that's what these kids want to play when they when the last five years with Homegrown lacrosse Indigenous Lacrosse Alliance, these kids want to play baaga'adowewin during their free time. So, they're playing modern sticks, learning on modern skills, but at the end of the day, they're throwing traditional sticks around and That's what they want to play.
Emma Needham: Are there any differences in the way the Baaga'adowewin is played versus modern lacrosse?
Bryan Bosto: Respect yourself is rule number one and respect everything. on that field. One final role is have fun. But we also focus on too that they, when they do play a game that they play for something. They play for the health of their family, they play for the health of their community, they play for the health, whatever they want to play for. But above all, that they're always playing for someone else and that someone else is the creator, this is his game.
Marie Rock: That's all for this week's episode. Join us next time for more voices and stories that inform, uplift, and shape our communities right here on Minnesota Native News.
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Minnesota Native News is produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's community radio stations made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.