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Before America

Before America | The Lacrosse Game That Sparked a Native Uprising

Season 2025 Episode 1 | 5m 07s

In 1763, Odawa and Ojibwe warriors used a lacrosse game to outwit British soldiers at Fort Michilimackinac, launching a rebellion that forced an empire to reckon with Indigenous power. Before America reveals the true story behind Pontiac’s War—strategy, courage, and resistance across the Great Lakes that helped shape the continent.

Aired: 11/15/25
Extras
Watch • 5:17
Before America
Before America |The Painting That Lied to America: The Truth About Pontiac’s War
A 19th-century painting twisted Pontiac’s War—this episode uncovers the real story.
Episode: S2025 E5 | 5:17
Watch • 4:51
Before America
Before America | How Michigan’s Indigenous Nations Sparked the American Revolution
Michigan’s Indigenous history that helped spark the American Revolution.
Episode: S2025 E4 | 4:51
Watch • 6:02
Before America
Before America |Michigan’s Forgotten Women of Pontiac’s War
The untold story of Indigenous women whose power shaped Pontiac’s War and Michigan’s history.
Episode: S2025 E3 | 6:02
Watch • 0:30
Before America
Official Trailer | Before America
Reframing America’s origins through Native resistance in the Great Lakes.
Preview: S2025 | 0:30