The Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award has been created to keep the legacy of the Onondaga Stickmaker alive, to promote the game’s sacred Indigenous roots, and to honor members of the larger community who share Alfie’s love of lacrosse and his commitment to its growth.

STICKMAKER, COACH, EDUCATOR

For more than a half century Alfie crafted tens of thousands of wooden lacrosse sticks used by players around the world. He began making traditional wooden sticks with his father, Lou, in 1961. They didn’t have the money to buy sticks, so as Alfie explained countless times, “my father and I said what the heck, let’s make our own.” At the peak of wooden stick usage, Alfie and Lou made 12,000 sticks a year. The arrival of plastic sticks had a devastating effect on their business. But Alfie never quit. His stick making story is a story of perseverance and perpetuating Onondaga history and ceremony.

Alfie was also a coach, speaker, educator, and Ambassador for the game. Alfie loved lacrosse and he loved the people who played it, from all walks of life. He created a traveling roadshow with the different sticks from different regions, and he would speak to any audience about the rich history of the Creator’s Game.

In a world where efforts are made to grow lacrosse at any cost, Alfie worked to grow the game slowly, steadily, and the right way. This meant growing the game in ways that held reverence for the heritage before commercialization. He cherished working with youth. The Native Vision program was a favorite for Alfie. He traveled across the country to this Indigenous youth sports and development camp that promoted cultural values and well- being on and off a sports field.

Award Details

In its third year, the Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award will be the kick-off event for the 2026 Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival. The Festival will also have a Restore Our Sacred Lake 5k.

The award will be given to someone who has displayed selfless dedication and energy in growing the game. They must possess the passion that was inherent in Alfie’s mission and the Medicine Game. They will have used lacrosse to connect people in friendship and peace and, like Alfie, be true ambassadors of the game. The recipient can be from anywhere in the world. A college scholarship named for Alfie Jacques will also be given to a Native American youth who has demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship, educational commitment, community service and citizenship. This scholarship will be run through Native Vision’s national competition.

📆 Date: September 11, 2026
⏱️ Time: 05:00PM
📍 Location:
Bellevue Country Club Inc,
1901 Glenwood Ave, Syracuse, NY 13207

To send donations by check, please mail to:
American Indian Law Alliance
Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award
305 Vine St. Suite #3, Liverpool, NY 13088

Checks should be made payable our fiscal sponsor the Indigenous Values Initiative.

ADVISORY BOARD

Sid Jamieson, Inaugural Recipient, Bucknell University
Philip P. Arnold Syracuse University, Indigenous Values Initiative
Sarah Aschenbach, Board Member, The Tewaaraton Foundation
Allison Barlow, Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health
Adam DJ Brett, American Indian Law Alliance
Jim Calder, Author, Lacrosse History and Culture Books & Canadian Lacrosse Foundation Director
Robert Carpenter, Founder, Inside Lacrosse Magazine
Justin Giles, World Lacrosse Commission
Marlena Hammen, NativeVision Manager, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health
Betty Lyons, American Indian Law Alliance

The American Indian Law Alliance is honored to host this fundraiser. We are fiscally sponsored by the Indigenous Values Initiative. Their contact information is below.

Indigenous Values Initiative
mail: P.O. Box 336
DeWitt, New York 13214-9211
email: info@indigenousvalues.org
web: indigenousvalues.org

The Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award 2026

By American Indian Law Alliance

The Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award 2026

The 2026 recipients are Dom Starsia, Michael Kennedy, and Mike Kanatakeron Mitchell