The Creator’s Game
Baaga’adowe (stickball) is the oldest game in what is now the United States. Also called the “Medicine Game” and the “Little Brother of War,” it was played by many Indigenous Nations, each with their own stories, ceremonies, and styles of stick. Whether Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, or Cherokee, this game was a gift from the Creator to the people of Turtle Island to bring people together, resolve conflicts, and train warriors.
After 150 years of suppression and appropriation, we’re bringing it back to Waawiyaatanong (Detroit) to heal our community and restore what was taken.
Chi Miigwetch to Joseph Ojibway for introducing us to the Medicine Game in 2023, Rick Woods for showing us how to make sticks, and RJ Smith for all your teachings. (If you look in the background you can see a few of us playing!)
Cool. But what does this have to do with bikes?
Luki Bike Adventures never wanted to limited ourselves to just bikes. Our vision from day one has always been building connections to the land and each other, introducing kids to the outdoors through biking. The outdoors, community, and culture were always the end goal. Bikes are the vehicle to get us there.
These same kids who started biking with us have also gone camping, hiking, kayaking, had blaster fights and play baaga’adowe with us. It’s called the Medicine Game for a reason, and it’s essential to healthy Anishinaabe kids and communities. We’re fully committed to grow our baaga’adowe program and see this generation be the first generation in a very long time grow up playing the Creator’s Game.
Ready to play? Here’s the rules.
Traditionally, there are very few rules to baaga'adowe. There is no out of bounds, no protective gear (we allow mouth guards and athletic cups), no time-outs and no shoes. The ball is not to be handled with hands, but use of feet is perfectly fine. Though we use Gitchigamiin (Great Lakes) style sticks, wooden sticks from other nations are welcome. Colonized lacrosse sticks are not.
To minimize the risk of injury, we ask participants refrain from the following:
Tackling, lifting or slamming
Cross-checking
Body-checking from behind
Grabbing head, neck, or hair
Striking sticks with upward motion
Throwing sticks, or intentionally striking with stick
Grabbing/holding must be around waist/under arms, not pinning arms down or around upper chest
*We will allow exceptions to these rules for adult games if all participants from both teams are in agreement.
We expect all participants and spectators to conduct themselves in a safe and respectful manner at all times. Bullying, drugs or alcohol will not be tolerated.
Upcoming Events
Indigenous Peoples Day
Baaga’adowewin Tournament
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026
Time: 1PM - 3PM
Location: Waawaashkesh Miikans, 4808 Tillman, Detroit, MI, 48208
Join us for Waawiiyaatanong’s first Baaga’adowewin tournament in over 150 years! (Probably.) All skill levels welcome. We plan to have both youth and adult games so get your team together and register early. Don’t have a team, or not enough people for your team? That’s okay, we can assign you one.
Monday Night Youth Practice
Join us Monday evenings for youth Baaga’adowe practice at Clark Park. We will work on basic skills to play, and finish with a game or two. All skill levels welcome. We encourage the whole family to participate. Bring a chair and cheer, or join us on the field. We have a limited number of sticks, so bring yours if you have one. Otherwise, we know how to share. We meet at the football field at 5pm until it gets too cold to do so.
Look for adult drop-in games starting in spring 2027!
Stick Making
In November 2025, stick maker Rick Woods of the Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians came and spent two days teaching us how to make our own baaga’adowe sticks. Since then, we’ve kept working on our sticks and had a stick making demonstration during our family camping trip.
We now have a group of kids who can not only play, but make and maintain their sticks. If you are interested in learning to make your own stick, or purchase a handmade stick, contact us.