noun
- A traditional Indigenous ball game played by First Nations peoples of North America, particularly in the Great Lakes region; an early form of lacrosse.
Usage: historical; also spelled baggataway or baggatawai; primarily used in anthropological and historical contexts
Examples
- The Ojibwe and other Great Lakes tribes played baggataways as both a sport and a spiritual practice.
- Baggataways was documented by early European explorers as a game involving hundreds of players and goals miles apart.
- The modern sport of lacrosse evolved directly from the Indigenous game of baggataways.
- Historians study baggataways to understand the athletic traditions of pre-contact North American societies.