LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the Onondaga Nation and Haudeno-
saunee Nation upon the occasion of being honored with hosting the 2015
World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, from September 18 to September 27,
2015

WHEREAS, The Onondaga Nation is a member of the Haudenosaunee Nation, an
alliance of native nations united for the past several hundred years by
complementary traditions, beliefs and cultural values; and
WHEREAS, The Onondaga Nation survives today as a sovereign, independ-
ent nation, living on 7,300 acres of its ancestral territory in the
County of Onondaga, just south of the City of Syracuse, where it main-
tains its own distinct laws, language, customs and culture, including
the sport of lacrosse; and
WHEREAS, Lacrosse is one of the oldest team sports in North America
and, according to Haudenosaunee tradition, was originally a sacred gift
from the Creator, demanding those who play it have a purity of mind,
body and spirit; and
WHEREAS, Lacrosse was quickly adopted by the early settlers in Upstate
New York, spread across the colonies of the American Northeast and Cana-
da, and is now recognized as the world's fastest growing team sport,
with leagues in Europe, Japan, China, Turkey, and Singapore, to name a
few; and
WHEREAS, Lacrosse is played as an outdoor 'field' game and an indoor
'box' game, and world championships have arisen for both versions; and
WHEREAS, The Federation of International Lacrosse organizes the World
Indoor Lacrosse Championships once every four years, and has selected
the Haudenosaunee to be the host nation for the 2015 Games, the first
time in the history of any sport that an Indigenous People has been
selected as the host country; and
WHEREAS, The Onondaga Nation has accepted the honor of being the venue
for these World Indoor Lacrosse Games, with a theme of "peace and
friendship", and thus bringing to Central New York teams and fans from
13 nations: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germa-
ny, the Haudenosaunee, Ireland, Israel, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and
the USA; and
WHEREAS, Onondaga County, Central New York and New York State have
always welcomed individuals from around the world, and thus today proud-
ly count as residents of their areas people from each of the competing
nations, and thus is equally proud to count some of its young citizens
as members of the teams from these competing nations; and
WHEREAS, International athletic competition enhances the moral and
physical development of those who compete in it as well as those who
watch it, exposing all involved to the wonderful diversity of our world,
the value of hard work, and the benefits of maintaining a standard of
healthy living; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to the Onondaga Nation which has, by maintaining the tradition
of lacrosse, by being ambassadors to the world and proponents for the
virtues and standards expected of those playing the Creator's game, and
by achieving outstanding individual and team success in youth, high
school, college, professional and international lacrosse competition,
have inspired and brought great pride to their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is hereby justly proud to congratulate
the Onondaga Nation specifically and all of the members of the Haudeno-
saunee Nation generally for being selected to host the World Indoor
Lacrosse Championships, which will be held September 18-27, 2015, at the

Onondaga County OnCenter War Memorial, the Onondaga Nation Arena and the
Syracuse University Carrier Dome; and
WHEREAS, No Nation can succeed in performing such a task without the
outstanding skill and talent of its citizens, and in an ever increasing-
ly global world without the assistance and cooperation of its neighbors;
and
WHEREAS, Participation in international athletic competition instills
in all the important values of teamwork, pride, and accomplishment, and
the players, coaches, fans and organizers from the Haudenosaunee and
from around the world involved with the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Cham-
pionships have clearly contributed to the pride of the City of Syracuse,
the County of Onondaga, the region of Central New York and the State of
New York community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Nation upon the
occasion of being honored with hosting the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse
Championships; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to representatives of the Onondaga Nation and Haudenosaunee
Nation.