Delby Powless

Medicine Game Delby Powless

MEDICINE GAME is a modern-day story set on the fictional Sparrow Lake Nation. It's a story of Tommy Henry's life on the Rez. Events from Tommy's childhood lead him down a path of violent outbursts that trouble him throughout his young life. The very same outbursts he saw from his father Beau.
Tommy finds solace in the friendships he develops with his lacrosse teammates. He finds that the game of lacrosse is where he can go to let out the emotions, he has hidden deep inside him. Unfortunately, Tommy turns to heavy drinking and violence to help forget the issues he had hoped to leave in his past. Tommy's friends and his love for the game of lacrosse keep him balanced for most of his life, but a time comes when he is forced to deal with his past demons. Beau soon must help his son fight the same battle he faced as a young man.
The people of the Sparrow Lake believe that the game of lacrosse was a gift given to them by the Creator. It was meant to be played with a good mind and strong heart. They believe that when they play the game the Creator smiles and blesses them with good health. That is why lacrosse is known to them as MEDICINE GAME. Embracing a good mind and strong heart, Tommy must come to terms with his childhood problems and find a way to heal before he hurts himself and those he loves.
MEDICINE GAME is an emotional story that brings to light some of the dark issues in Native communities while displaying the comedy that many Native people use to cope with such issues. This is the story of one young man's healing journey.