Peyote And The Native American Church. Peyote Is A Narcotic

Peyote and the Native American Church Peyote is a narcotic cactus plant that has been used in both religious and healing ceremonies of Native Americans for thousands of years. Peyote is considered safe by a majority of Native Americans, but also vastly important to their religious heritage. Not only is it considered historically important but the use of peyote is central to many beliefs of modern Pan-Indianism. Interestingly, the more popular peyote became among Native American tribes, the more of a concern it became to the US Government and this strange correlation of tribe use vs. government concern forces us to ask why peyote has become such a central point of conflict. This essay will attempt to answer that question and show why the†¦show more content†¦Quanah Parker, the credited founder of the Native American Church, adopted the peyote religion after he suffered a near death experience fighting federal troops. He claims that Jesus Christ came to him and told him that h e needed to take the peyote religion to the Indian Peoples to atone for his many killings and misdeeds (Toquerville). The establishment of the Native American Church allowed the use of peyote for religious uses and for many it provided a powerful alternative to both ancient tribal religions and missionary-controlled versions of Christianity which caused it spread like wildfire across tribes (Fikes). Faced with the suppression of many traditional rituals from the US Government, many Native Americans took solace in peyote ceremonies because they took place quietly and they were protected under the law (Toquerville). It was not just Native Americans that took part in these ceremonies. In 1956, Saskatoon Star Phoenix featured an article in which white men experienced peyote rites and one of the observers remarked that peyote ceremonies offer a tremendous religious experience that intensify the awareness of God. He also said that they provide an enormous cohesive force for the American Indian when they have had nothing to unify behind in a long time (Dyck). Just like all other Native