Tweedy, of Sisseton-Wahpeton heritage, picked up the basics fast. She rushes down the frozen lake as players from the opposing team try to knock the ball away. Despite being the youngest player, her skills as a hockey goalie seemed to give her a leg up. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal

The Art Shanty Projects on Lake Harriet (Mde Unma in Dakota) kicked off on Saturday January 18, 2025, in negative temperatures. An excited crowd braved the tundra-like conditions to celebrate the return of an event that, due to warm weather, had a rough go in 2024. 

Among the art exhibits dotting a section of the lake near the bandshell, Twin Cities Native Lacrosse hosted pickup games of Thakapsicapi (ball game in Dakota) on the sixteen inches of ice. The games were open to any who wanted to participate, and organizer John Hunter was on hand to teach people how to play and to share a brief history lesson of the game, which originated with Indigenous tribes. 

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Dakota and Ojibwe tribes played throughout the area, using both frozen lakes and dry land for games. Twin Cities Native Lacrosse is keeping that tradition alive and sharing it with a wider audience. Anyone looking to play a game will have another opportunity on February 9 at Lake Harriet. 

For more information about Twin Cities Native Lacrosse and future games, visit their Facebook page or @tc.native.lacrosse on Instagram.

Roosevelt High School junior Isaac Schultz is a regular player at weekly games held by Twin Cities Native Lacrosse. He showed up to play despite the frigid temperatures on Lake Harriet on the opening day of the Art Shanty exhibits. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
The game’s organizer, John Hunter, sets up the goalposts prior to the game. Goals are scored when players hit the thin post with the ball. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
The lacrosse sticks are handmade with wood and leather. A thin piece of wood is curved to create the hoop where the ball is cradled, and leather laces form the pocket. The balls can be made from various materials, with tennis balls sometimes used as an alternative. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
The new players are taught how to cradle the ball during a quick lesson before the friendly match. Learning to cradle the ball on the move proved challenging, especially with the opposing team allowed to strike the lacrosse stick to knock the ball away. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
John Hunter explains how to play Native Lacrosse on a frozen Lake Harriet. A fair number of Art Shanty attendees joined in the impromptu pickup game, learning how to play for the first time. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
Two first-time players practice how to throw and catch prior to a friendly pickup game. Learning to release the ball at the top of the swing was a key technique to master. Following through with the throw makes the ball drive straight into the ground. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
Piper Tweedy tosses the ball in the air at center field after scoring an early goal. As she jumped lithely in the air, both teams unleashed a bellow following the ball into the air, before rushing to take possession and gain the upper hand in the match’s second round. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
Isaac Schultz displays his skills as he rushes toward the opposing goalpost. As a regular player, Schultz was hard to keep at bay, bobbing and weaving his way through blocks and slashes to score. He finished his rush with a victory roar. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
Post-game, the players knock sticks together in a show of respect and sportsmanship. Wide smiles stretched across the faces of new and experienced players as they celebrated braving the cold wind sweeping across the lake. They then headed to warm up in other exhibits at Art Shanty Projects 2025. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal

Aaron Nesheim is a photojournalist at Sahan Journal. Prior to joining Sahan Journal he documented the police killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright and subsequent trials of Derek Chauvin and Kim Potter...