Lacrosse is officially Canada's national summer game. In one form or another, it has been played for hundreds of years, certainly before the first Europeans made their way across the Atlantic to North America.

Traditionally, the importance of lacrosse to First Nations communities went beyond just sport and recreation. Lacrosse demanded such athletic finesse, skill and stamina that it was believed it could heal as well as strengthen a player's personal character. Today, games last one and a half to two hours long, but lacrosse was once played for days at a time.

The Mohawk and Iroquois First Nations called the game they played "tewaarathon" or "baggataway". The name "la crosse" was given to the game by early French settlers because to them the players' wooden sticks looked like the curved staff used by Catholic bishops, called a "croisse", or in English a cross.

It is unknown when exactly lacrosse made its way from central Canada to Vancouver Island, but it is certain that the first players had to make do with what equipment they could make or find. Elders remember making their own sticks from maple (Acer macrophyllum) trees. Lacrosse balls were carved out of hardwoods, like Bigleaf Maple or Western Yew. Anything could be used to mark goal posts at each end of the playing area. Rocks, trees or even old bathtubs were used. Veteran lacrosse player Joe White and his brother used old bathtubs to mark the goalie net, and if a player shot the ball into the bathtub and it stayed there, it was a goal!

Snuneymuxw Elders also recall playing a type of shinny. This version of shinny was a precursor to both lacrosse and hockey. Players used naturally curved sticks as clubs. The curved ends were carved flat so that balls could be struck with greater accuracy. Players were even allowed to strike opponents in the leg. It could be a physically brutal sport.

Some of the great men's box lacrosse Senior A Snuneymuxw players of the last century were: Mike Good, Peter Good Sr., Jimmy Rice-Wyse, Bill Seward, Richard Seward, Don White, Doug White Sr. and Joe White.

Snuneymuxw Elder, Joe White, began his professional lacrosse career with a bang. In 1956, when the Nanaimo Timbermen, won the Mann Cup, the league could not afford championship rings for the players. This situation was recently rectified for Joe White when the Snuneymuxw arranged to have a Mann cup ring made especially for Joe.