Indians Playing Lacrosse on the Ice

Indians Playing Lacrosse on the Ice

1859
Edmund C. Coates
American, born England, 1816–1871
Oil on canvas
28 1/2 x 35 1/8 in. (72.39 x 89.218 cm)

On view in the American Art before 1900 galleries

The artist Edmund C. Coates, of Brooklyn, relied on information from popular prints to construct this lively scene of Native Americans playing a game of lacrosse, which originated among tribes in the Great Lakes region of North America. Lacrosse held an important place in tribal life as a means of entertainment, competition, and ceremony—for example, to honor guardian spirits or satisfy dreams. The depiction of American Indians engaged in this peaceful activity reinforces the mythical notion that native traditions could still thrive in the midst of white settlement.

1934.19
Yale University Art Gallery, Whitney Collections of Sporting Art, given in memory of Harry Payne Whitney, B.A. 1894, and Payne Whitney, B.A. 1898, by Francis P. Garvan, B.A. 1897, Hon. 1922 1934.19