Peyotism
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Peyotism is the largest religion started, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans and gets its title from the fact that members of the religion use the peyote -û sometimes referred to as mescal û- in their ceremonies, a point that has caused fascinating legal challenges between those supporting the First Amendment protection of freedom of religious practice in the United States and those who wish to prohibit the use of hallucinogenic drugs for what they see as recreational (or at least on-medicinal) purposes. Peyotism has also brought the Native Americans into conflict with mainstream society, and one might speculate that part of the reason that the followers of peyotism have been so adamant in their insistence on using it is the IndiansÆ wish to wrest some control of ceremony and cultural identity back from the society that tried so hard for so many years to destroy the sense of identity of native peoples.The name comes from the Aztec word peyotl, which designates a small spineless psychedelic cactus (called within the Linnean system Lophophora williamsii) that is native to southern Texas and north-central Mexico. Spanish conquistadores found peyote used as a sacred medicine and a source for magic far beyond the area of natural peyote growth. The Inquisition of New Spain, on June 29, 1620, published an order prohibiting the use of peyote for any purpose. That order û- like many that the United States government woukd try to enforce in later centuries -û would
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Only among the Navajo has there been a rapid recent growth in membership, although the Navajo tribe itself outlawed peyote from 1940 to 1967. By the early 1980s about half of all Navajo were Peyotists. The most frequently cited figure for total Peyotist membership is 250,000 (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1999).
The Native American Church, also called Peyotism or peyote religion, is the most widespread indigenous religious movement among North American Indians and one of the most influential forms of Pan-Indianism.
From the mid-19th century, use of peyote extended north into the Great Plains of the United States, and probably first developed into a distinct religion about 1885 among the Kiowa and Comanche of Oklahoma. After 1891 it spread rapidly as far north as Canada and is now practiced among more than 50 tribes. Statistics are uncertain, but reports suggest nearly a fifth of the Navajo in 1951 practiced the peyote religion (despite strong tribal council opposition) as did one-third of Oklahoma Indians in 1965. The Native American Church claimed some 225,000 adherents in 1977 (Economist, 1999).
The various forms of peyotist beliefs combine Indian and Christian elements in differing degrees. Among the Teton, for example, the Cros
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2356
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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