Peyotism

Peyotism is the largest religion started, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans. It has caused unique legal challenges between supporters of the First Amendment and those wishing to prohibit the use of hallucinogenic drugs. The use of peyote as a medicine and a spiritual tool had been common practice in what is now Mexico before ﻿ the appearance of European settlers to as early as 3780 B.C. It has such a complex history that this article will in no way be able to represent the entirety of the issue, thus this article will focus primarily on its’ use within the Native American Church and the legal issues conceded to allow religious freedom to be practiced by Native Americans. The Sacrament Ceremony, or the consumption of peyote, is just one of 12 spiritual ceremonies practiced by the Native American Church. These ceremonies are credited to as being given to Native American ancestors by the Creator for the purpose of remembering their godly ancestry, and to encourage the promptings of their hearts, the Creator’s direct communication modality. There are two important purposes for the Sacrament Ceremony. They are: to rediscover ones innate goodness and to assist in the forgiveness process for oneself. Thus not only is the consumption of peyote in this manner spiritual, but can also be therapeutic. The ceremony includes prayer, singing, water rituals, and deep contemplation. The consumption of the peyote itself represents the convergence of multiple social and religious constrains imposed upon Native American people at the time peyote reached the plains Indians. With missionaries being built at an ever increasing speed, Christianity began to take foot holds in American Indian spirituality. Therefore when the Native American Church calls peyote the Flesh of God, it emphasizes Christian influence on the consumption of a sacrament. Christians have the body of Christ in bread, and Native American Church goers have it in the form of peyote.

Peyote is a small carrot-shaped cactus that is covered in a light fuzz native from southwestern Texas through Mexico. The top portion of the cactus, or buttons, is what is consumed during the ceremonies. It contains alkaloid chemical mescaline which produces the mind altering effect. Peyote is classified as Schedule I controlled substance in the US. This basically means that it’s classified as having high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. However, United States federal law protects the harvest, possession, consumption, and cultivation of peyote as part of “bonafide religious ceremonies”. In contrast to the criminalization of peyote in 1970, the law specifically exempts peyote use by Native American Church members. State law regarding peyote is varied. In all 50 states use of peyote by persons with Native American ancestry is protected, while in 5 states non-native peyote use also protected. While Arizona became the first state to guarantee access to the peyote sacrament, it had been criminalized as an anti Native American statement since the 1890’s. The reasoning for the criminalization was purported to be concern for the plant’s psychoactive effect, yet it was made illegal roughly at the same time Native American ceremonies were generally outlawed. Ceremonies and rituals such as the Ghost Dance and peyote consumption were believed to reinforce Native American resistance to colonial movement and agenda. The use of peyote afterwards then became more than a spiritual tool but also a way in which to revive religious and cultural history. The revitalization of this religious practice paved the road to the 1978 Congressional law that exempted Native Americans from the criminalization of peyote.

Works Cited


 * 1) // Prehistoric peyote use: Alkaloid analysis and radiocarbon dating of archaeological specimens of Lophophora from Texas //El-Seedi HR, Smet PA, Beck O, Possnert G, Bruhn JG //Ethnopharmacol//. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):238-42 Two archaeological specimens of peyote buttons, from the collection of the Witte Museum in San Antonio, was subjected to radiocarbon dating and alkaloid analysis.The identification of mescaline strengthens the evidence that native North Americans recognized the psychotropic properties of peyote as long as 5700 years ago.
 * 2) //Peyote in the treatment of alcoholism among American Indians// Albaugh B.J., Anderson P.O. Am J Psychiatry. 1974 Nov 15;131(11):1247-50. The article examines the development and effectiveness of a treatment program for alcoholism among American Indians.This program offers the alcoholic Indian both occupational and cultural therapy, including participation in the services of the Native American Church.
 * 3) //Navajo peyote use: its apparent safety// Bergman R.L. Am J Psychiatry 1971 Dec 10;128(6):695-9.Since there have been many reports of serious emotional disturbance caused by similar drugs, he rate of such illness in this population was investigated. The rate was found to be very low, probably because the feelings evoked by the drug experience are channeled by church belief and practice into ego-strengthening directions and there are built-in safeguards against bad reactions.
 * 4) //Entheogens and Existential Intelligence: The Use of Plant Teachers as Cognitive Tools// Tupper K.W. //Canadian Journal of Education//. 2002;27(4):499-516 Tupper usea Gardner's revised multiple intelligence theory and his postulation of an "existential" intelligence as a theoretical lens through which to account for the cognitive possibilities of entheogens and explore potential ramifications for education.
 * 5) //Peyotism and Mescalism// Stewart O.C. //Plains Anthropologist//. 1980;25:297-309 Stewart depicts how the identity, origin, use and relationship of Peyote or Peyote buttons and mescal, mescal buttons, mescalbeans or meascaline continue to be confused. This paper examines the history of the confusion and uses ethnohistorical data to clarify the situation.
 * 6) //Peyotism and the Control of Heavy Drinking: The Nebraska Winnebago in the Early 1900s// Hill //Human Organization//. 1990;49(3):255 - 265 The major focus is on the manner in which the Peyote religion helped control excessive drinking. The discussion examines Peyotism as a native therapeutic system and compares it to other such native systems and to Western regimens. It is argued that common elements in these diverse approaches are responsible for the successful control or "treatment" of excessive drinking.
 * 7) //Survival of Indigenous Spirituality// James Warren Flaming Eagle Mooney Native American Church []
 * 8) //A Description of a Tonkawa Peyote Meeting Held in 1902// Opler M.W //American Ethnography Quasiweekly// The title says it all. It is first hand account described by a Chiricahua Apache member participating in a peyote ceremony.
 * 9) //Peyote and Mescaline// DEA [] This article addresses the legal status of peyote as well as a brief description of appearance, dosage, and usage by Native Americans.
 * 10) //Handbook of American Indian Religious Freedom// Vacsey C. New York: Crossroad Press, 1991. Vacsey's book details the history of religous oppression enforced upon the Native Americans.He recounts the laws enacted which restored the first amendment rights of Native American people.
 * 11) //Religion, Law, and the Land: Native Americans and the Judicial Interpretations of Sacred Land// Brown B.E. Greenwwod Press, 1999. Brown's text examines the both ancient and contemporary relationship between the Native American and land, law, and religion.
 * 12) //Peyotism in California// Stewart O.C //Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 8(2)// __ p://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xh6g3pr __ Stewart examines the history of peyote cultivation in California since 1936. He details tha struggle Native Americans had to go through to the be ableto freely engage in religious activity involving peyote.
 * 13) //Native American Church// Swan D.C. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture [] Swan's article gives a brief history of peyotism in Oklahoma, which is the state with the first Native American Church adopted peyotism.
 * 14) //Peyote: The Divine Cactus// Anderson E.F. 2nd ed, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1996. Anderson's book deals directly with the history and nature of peyote.
 * 15) //The Prophet Ward// Lyons S.R. [] Lyons article deals with peyote from a historcal context all the way to present day use. He specifcally notes legality issues peyote users have faced since the 1918 Hayden Bill that sought to outlaw peyote outright.
 * 16) //Washo-Northern Paiute Peotism, a Study in Acculturation// Stewart O.C 1944 [] Stewart's article focues's on the adoption of peyote rites by the Shoshonean and other North American Indian tribes.
 * 17) //On the Native American Church and the Triual Use of Peyote// Kunze R. [] Kunze's paper analyzes how the ritual use of peyote has been misunderstood, misused, and marginalized but kept it's integrity in a movement foreign to the wordlview.
 * 18) Native American Religious Freedom Act [] This is the legal defintion surrounding the Native American Religious Freedom Act and includes but is not limited to access of sites, use and possesion of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.
 * 19) //Plants of the Gods-Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers// Schultes R.E, Hoffman A. Healing Arts Press: Vermont 1992 [] The excerpt from this book looks at the cultural implications of having a hallucinogenic plant based religion and notes that the rise of popularity among Native Americans is generally regarded as an attitude of resignation toward encroaching western cultures.
 * 20) //Americanization: Accomodation to White America []// This page attempts to explain the development and survival of the Native American peyotism in the face of American acculturation.