Native American Church

Native American Church, also called Peyotism or Peyote religion, originated in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans. Peyotism involves the use of the entheogen peyote, a spineless cactus with hallucinogenic effects.

A peyote button

Peyote was used in the territory of modern-day Mexico in pre-Columbian times to communicate with the supernatural and also as a medicine. In the mid 19th century, the use of peyote spread to the Great Plains area of the United States primarily through the efforts of the Apache people. Statistics are uncertain, but Peyotism is practiced in more than 50 Indian tribes and probably has between 100,000 and 300,000 adherents.

Peyotist belief varies considerably from tribe to tribe. Among the various beliefs are: belief in Jesus as a Native American culture hero, an intercessor for man or a spiritual guardian; belief in the Bible; belief in Peyote personified as a God; and association of Jesus with Peyote. Peyotists believe in a supreme God (the Great Spirit) as well as several lesser gods or spirits. The "Peyote Road" calls for Indian brotherly love (i.e Indian Nationalism), family care, self-support through work, and avoidance of alcohol, and avoidance of recreational drug use.

The peyote ritual normally begins at 8 pm Saturday and continues through the night. The ritual includes prayer, eating of peyote, Peyote songs, water rituals, and contemplation. It ends with breakfast Sunday morning. The peyote ritual is believed to allow communion with Gods and the deceased and to give power, guidance, and healing. The healing may be emotional or physical, or both.

Many Western Tribes practice Sweat lodge ceremonies which involve prayer, singing, and taking of the peyote sacrament. These ceremonies are of shorter duration than a traditional NAC ceremony, and are performed during the day, rather than at night.

The Church members consider that the communal ingestion of peyote and the ceremony of the Church meeting help participants to get into a proper relationship with themselves and with God. In turn this leads to an ability to live a good day-to-day life. Church members have a very strong community awareness. A good life is considered to be one that is kind and responsible — and over and above all else, embodies love. Native people have turned to the Church and relied on it when their lives have been beset by substance-abuse or domestic problems.

In regards to the ideal frame of mind and manner of conduct, the Native American Church has affinity with various forms of Christianity. But it also has close affinity with the values of some forms of Buddhism, Zen for example. The renowned Zen Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki wrote that the aspects of this life were: a life of humility; a life of labor; a life of service; a life of prayer and gratitude; and a life of meditation. This is quite close to what the Native American Church deems to be a proper life.

Peyotism has faced many legal challenges for non-Indians. Federal Law currently restricts peyote use in religious ceremonies to members of Federally Recognized Tribal entities.

The Native American Church Movement

Quannah Parker is credited as the founder of the Native American Church Movement. Parker adopted the peyote religion after reportedly seeing a vision of Jesus Christ while suffering from a near fatal wound following a battle with Federal Troops. Peyote is reported to contain hordenine and tyramine, phenylethylamine alkaloids which act as potent natural antibiotics when taken in a combined form. Parker was given peyote by a Ute medicine man to cure the infections of his wounds. During the peyote experience, Parker claimed he heard the voice of Jesus Christ who then appeared to him, and told him in order to atone for his many killings and misdeeds, he must forsake a life of violence and conflict and take the peyote religion to the Indian Peoples. Parker's words and teachings comprise the core of the Native American Church Doctrine and the "Peyote Road."

Parker taught that the sacred peyote medicine was the sacrament given to the Indian Peoples by the Lord Jesus Christ, and was to be used with water when taking communion in a traditional Native American Church medicine ceremony. Parker created the "half-moon" style of the peyote ceremony. The "cross" ceremony later evolved in Oklahoma due to Kiowa influences introduced by John Wilson, a Kiowa indian who traveled extensively with Parker during the early days of the Native American Church movement. The Native American Church was the first truly "American" religion based on Christianity outside of the Latter Day Saint movement which also sprung from America's fertile soil.

Parker's most famous teaching regarding the Spirituality of the Native American Church:

The White Man goes into his church and talks about Jesus. The Indian goes into his Tipi and talks with Jesus.

The modern reservation era in Native American History began with the universal adoption of the Native American Church and Christianity by virtually every Native American Tribe and Culture within North American and Canada as a result of Parker and Wilson's efforts. The Peyote religion and the Native American Church, however, was never the traditional religious practice of North American Indian Cultures. This religion was created by Parker's vision of Christ and was driven by influences from Mexico and other Southern Tribes who have used peyote since ancient times. Under Parker's leadership, peyote became an important item of trade, and this, combined with his Church movement and political and financial contacts, garnered Parker enormous wealth during his lifetime.

The Peyoteros of Southern Texas

The peyote religion evolved an elaborate trade network which has persisted since the early 1700s in Southern Texas, with designated harvesters of the peyote in the Mirando City area. The Peyoteros are a group of closely knit families of mixed Native American and Spanish ancestry who have harvested peyote for Native Americans since the early 1700s. The modern peyoteros still harvest peyote in the same manner as their ancestors, with a shovel and a large work crew of young men. Peyote is harvested and dried after the crowns of the plants are removed at ground level. The peyoteros never dig up peyote, but rather cut the tops of the cactus crowns at ground level. Peyote plants create large taproots with an extensive root system, and the plants rapidly regenerate new heads after harvest, often producing a much larger plant after several years of regrowth. This allows areas to be harvested ever other year and remain productive without harm to the plants or deletrious affects on the local populations of peyote.

The most famous living Peyotero is Salvador Johnson of Mirando City Texas. Indians are permitted to purchase peyote to supply the Native American Church both in person and via US Mails "Restricted Delivery" procedures. Special ceremonies are performed with the harvested and dried peyote medicine in order to bless it for use as a sacrament of Jesus Christ for Native American Church rituals.

The Peyoteros are classified as Indians due to their unique role in the history of the Native American Church. All of the peyoteros are license by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency and operate under DEA 225 permits. Peyoteros are also required to be registered with the State of Texas Department of Public Safety. Legitimate Native American Church Branches are also required to register with the Texas Department of Public Safety in order to purchase or harvest peyote.

The Fabled White Peyote of The Grand Canyon and Four Corners Area

Archealogical dscoveries in Arizona and Southern Texas indicate that peyote has been used by the Southwestern Tribes and their ancestors since antiquity. Peyote has been found carbon dated as 3,500 years old in caves in Southern Texas and Arizona. The mummified samples did not resemble modern peyote and were larger and more domed in comparison to modern populations of Lophophora Williamsii. These samples also contained up to 6% mescaline by weight even after thousands of years in a dessicated state. Modern Lophophora varieties average 3% mescaline in comparison. The Dine (Navajo) oral traditions and those of other Southwest tribes indicate that a cold tolerant, high altitude variety of peyote existed in the area of the Grand Canyon in ancient times, called "white peyote" which was rumored to be of cosmic potency.

Recent discoveries and botanical evidence indicates modern Lophophora species may in fact be divergent hybrids of Lophophora Diffusa and a species recently named Lophophora Brackii, a high altitude domed "white" peyote with 'Z' patterns and articulated ribbing that originates from a single population confined to a mountain near Viesca, Mexico. Modern Lophophora varieties exhibit pollen structure which ranges from 3 pored pollen from it's western ranges up to 9 pored pollen in the Eastern Range where Lophophora Decipiens grows under extremely arid conditions. Lophophora Diffusa more closely resembles primitive cacti than the other Lophophora varieties and this species also exists as an isolated population in a mountainous area and is more cold tolerant than Lophophora Williamsii polutions.

It is currently illegal to harvest peyote species in Mexico as all Cacti are protected under CITES and the Mexican Government has enacted strict laws to protect native cactus species.

See also

• Indigenous peoples of the Americas

External links

• Listing of Native American Churches