Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe joined with the Central Michigan lacrosse program Friday in a ceremony celebrating the sport’s inaugural season at CMU.
The ceremony, which took place minutes before the start of CMU’s game with Jacksonville, included an Anishinabe blessing and smudging, which is employed to cleanse the mind, body and spirit and helps to prepare the ground for competition by purifying the surface.
Mino Ode Drum was incorporated into the special ceremony and Tribal Chief Frank Cloutier and Tribal Council Member Ronnie Ekdahl, a former CMU student-athlete, presented to CMU coach Sara Tisdale and team captains two traditional hand-made lacrosse sticks.