Back in the game: with American Indians reasserting their heritage through lacrosse--a game invented by their ancestors--they're helping to make it one of the country's fastest-growing sports.

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Tim Glass's mother tells him that he was born with a lacrosse stick in his hand, because his ancestors invented the game. Tim, 14, and his two younger brothers sometimes practice their chosen sport in T-shirts that say, "It's in our blood."

In Oneida Territory, an area of upstate New York that belongs to the Oneida Indians, the Glass brothers are part of a new generation of American Indians reasserting their heritage through a game invented by their ancestors but more recently associated with prep schools and elite colleges.

In four years, the North American Minor Lacrosse Association has grown into a league of six American Indian teams in New York State, with 1,000 players from ages 3 to 20 competing in different age divisions. Some tribes have used profits from their casinos to hire coaches and referees, buy equipment, and refurbish playing fields.

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Games often draw hundreds of spectators for day-long picnics and festivities, helping unite disparate tribes in a culture often splintered by ancient and modern rivalries.

"It's not an elite sport to us; it's a way of life," says Randi Rourke, editor of Indian Country Today, a leading Native American newspaper. Rourke says that fathers and grandfathers often present lacrosse sticks to baby boys.

'AN IDENTITY FOR US'

Brian Patterson, president of the United South and Eastern Tribes, a group that represents 24 tribes primarily east of the Mississippi River, says the renewed interest in lacrosse is part of a broader movement to revive Indian languages and traditions. He has encouraged young people like his 11-year-old son, Schuyler, to draw strength and courage from lacrosse as their ancestors did, and ward off modern-day pressures and problems like drugs and alcohol.

"It's more than a game; it's truly an identity for us," says Patterson.

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Even the equipment is part of the tradition: Ronald Patterson, an Oneida coach, teaches young players the painstaking, yearlong process of making the wooden sticks by hand.

Beyond the reservations, lacrosse is among the country's fastest-growing sports. The number of players on organized teams jumped to 426,000 last year from 254,000 in 2001, according to U.S. Lacrosse, a nonprofit group that promotes the sport.

American Indians have played lacrosse for centuries. Missionaries documented their contests as long ago as the 1630s. Such early matches could involve hundreds of men and last for days in fields spanning miles. Players often used sticks carved from trees and balls fashioned from wood, stone, or rawhide. The games were considered a rite of passage for young men, attesting to their strength and power.

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS

Pickup games never disappeared from reservations, where lacrosse was often considered a gift from the Creator and games were played to heal the sick, settle conflicts, and even prepare for war. But the organized league has increased participation and led more Indians to play in high school.

John Jiloty, editor in chief of Inside Lacrosse magazine, predicts that "there's a pretty big wave of Native Americans who are going to be entering the four-year college ranks in the next few years, and they're going to make a big impact."

The league's six teams--their Web site is namlax.com--play what is known as box lacrosse, which takes place in an arena rather than on a larger open field, and has six on each side instead of 10. The action is generally faster and more intense.

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While the teams do not wear native clothing or have tribal sideline chants, the players say they adhere to the spirit of the game played hundreds of years ago. For instance, the Onondaga Red Hawks and the Tonawanda Braves do not allow girls to play. And many male players forbid women and girls to touch their lacrosse sticks for fear that it could cost them the protection of the Creator during games.

The three Glass brothers--Tim, Aaron, and Austin--switched to lacrosse from Little League baseball three years ago. Their two stepbrothers, who are of Italian descent, play alongside them for the Oneida Silverhawks, which is not limited to American Indians. One stepbrother, Damien Ceraulo, now brags: "I'm good at lacrosse, too, so I must be native."

During a game against the Allegany Arrows, the Silverhawks and their parents cheered, banged on chairs, and shouted at the referees over penalty calls. Afterward, Tim Glass showed off bruises left by the opposing team's sticks.

Brennan Taylor, 18, an Arrows player, says that while the game has changed over time, he finds comfort and meaning in its traditions. "Hundreds of years ago, they used to play it for its healing power," he says. "It will always be healing to me because you're staying active, and running and improving yourself."

Winnie Hu in Oneida Territory, N.Y.

Winnie Hu is a reporter for The New York Times.