Peyote In Native American Culture

“In August 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. October 12th, they sighted land, and set their feet upon new sand” is a saying taught to many children, even today. While this well-known quote initially has a positive connotation, the vast majority do not know the horrible actions that followed this saying. European immigrants forcefully entered the United States and proceeded to make the Natives abandon their tribes, all while forcing their religion of Christianity on them. Over the past four hundred years, the failing of Native American beliefs and traditions has led to a revitalization movement known to many as the Native American Church, also known as Peyotism (Editors). The word peyote comes from the Nahuatl name for a cactus, peyotyl.

Statistics show that as many as one fifth of the Navajo tribe and approximately one third of the Oklahoma Indians, both previously relocated to the Midwest due to European immigration, were practicing the Peyote religion by the mid-twentieth century. By 1977, the Native American Church itself claimed to have had nearly a quarter of a million members. The revitalization of Native American beliefs in a modern America was slowly but surely becoming a reality

The Kiowa tribe was able to use their discovery of peyote to their advantage by falling into a trance when the cactus plant was consumed. During this trance, Peyotists felt the ability to communicate with their God. This turned into a movement and grew rapidly throughout the Midwest United States. Although only found in few locations, the Peyote Church is still present today. However, about one hundred years ago, it was partially responsible for uniting the Native American population in such a troubling, disturbing time