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Syracuse University’s men’s lacrosse defensive coordinator John Odierna revived a centuries-old anti-Indigenous phrase and branded it across the backs of the team’s practice jerseys.

The phrase, “burn the boats” or “burn the ships,” coined by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, is a nod to his brutal massacre, enslavement and colonization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. In a game that has always been and will always be Indigenous, “burn the boats” has no place in it.

Five hundred years ago, Cortés embarked upon a military conquest of Mexico. Acting under the authority of the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church, Cortés’ voyage was justified by the Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery stated that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be claimed and exploited by Christian colonizers. If Indigenous people inhabiting these lands couldn’t be converted to Christianity, they were enslaved or killed.

When Cortés arrived in Mexico, he ordered his men to burn or sink their own ships so that there would be no option but to continue their conquest of Indigenous Peoples of the “New World.” What resulted was the largest trade of enslaved Indigenous people in North America. Cortés led the way, becoming the largest owner of enslaved Indigenous people in Mexico. To mark their enslavement, Cortés branded the faces of Indigenous men, women and children with symbols of the Spanish Crown.

Given the colonial history of the phrase “burn the boats,” using it as a boastful slogan in any sport would be deplorable. But to use it in lacrosse, a sport still widely known as an Indigenous game, is especially cruel.

Under the leadership of Gary Gait, the team can’t be ignorant to the fact that lacrosse is called the Medicine Game or The Creator’s Game, among Indigenous Peoples locally, especially the Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora). It’s traditionally played among the Haudenosaunee to heal those with illness and for the enjoyment of the Creator.

The Medicine Game is played to give thanks. Lacrosse’s existence is a testament to the fact that, despite colonization’s efforts to stamp out Haudenosaunee culture, the Haudenosaunee resisted.

The celebration of both settler colonialism and Indigenous genocide has no place in the Medicine Game.

The Doctrine of Discovery, used to fuel Cortés’conquest, is still wielded against Indigenous people. In a 2005 case, the United States Supreme Court applied the Doctrine of Discovery to prevent the Oneida Indian Nation of New York from regaining control over land illegally taken from them by the state of New York.

Further, colonization has resulted in the significant loss of the Haudenosaunee’s ancestral homelands. The Haudenosaunee once maintained a land base in New York of nearly 25 million acres. Today, as a result of illegal takings, the Haudenosaunee land base has been reduced to less than 100,000 acres. SU sits on the original homelands of the Onondaga Nation (capital of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy); the Onondaga Nation which once held 2.6 million acres across New York, now holds a mere 7,300 acres.

The Syracuse men’s lacrosse program supposedly celebrates the roots of the lacrosse as an Indigenous Medicine Game, yet espouses settler-colonial rhetoric and the European conquest of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. While Odierna defined this men’s lacrosse season by pro-colonization rhetoric, the Haudenosaunee, the founders of the game, are defined in part by their resistance to colonization.

“Burn the boats” is a grotesque phrase, especially given that Indigenous students seek out SU as a place where their culture and history is revered, not ignored. Indigenous lacrosse players have also always played for SU — and they currently play for SU. Yet, this lacrosse season, SU’s use of the phrase demonstrates that Indigenous genocide isn’t just ignored, but effectively celebrated.

SU taught us to think critically about history and to draw connections between the past and the present. Our time at SU shaped our commitment to continuing to fight for a better future for the next generation of Indigenous students. To us, a better future for Indigenous people means correcting historical inaccuracies, respecting the crucial contributions of Indigenous people to our society and committing to learning from past atrocities.

As Indigenous alumni of SU, we urge that this matter be addressed immediately. Any use of the phrase “burn the boats” should cease. The entire men’s program staff should be mandated to attend cultural competency trainings. Above all, the program and Odierna should issue a public apology and Odierna should be held accountable for his poor lapse in judgement.

In a statement to The Daily Orange responding to this piece ahead of publication, John Stark, assistant director of athletic communications, wrote, “We thank those in our community who brought the concerns associated with this phrase to our attention. The team will not be wearing these warm up jerseys going forward.”

The celebration of both settler colonialism and Indigenous genocide has no place in the Medicine Game. As longtime supporters of SU lacrosse, as SU alumni and as Indigenous people, if the Syracuse men’s lacrosse team’s quest to win a national title is shaped by the glorification of Indigenous genocide, the team doesn’t deserve to win; in fact, they deserve to lose.

Beth Margaret Wright ’15, Senior Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund (Pueblo of Laguna) and Hugh Burnam PhD ’23, Assistant Professor, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan). They can be reached at bmwrig01@gmail.com and hburnam23@gmail.com.

Views are the authors’ own and not those of their employers. Co-author Hugh Burnam’s father was the dedicated and renown Syracuse lacrosse player and coach of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, Mark Burnam.

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