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** An overview of Peyote **
**Peyote is a small plant that grows in the southwest United States and Mexico. It is a spineless cactus with the root word Lophophora williamsii. It can only grow in dry soil. The plant itself is spineless with a bluish green color. It is a flowering cactus producing pink flowers. The word peyote comes from peyotl describing the plants center or button. The button is harvested for use and the plant will grow a new button. Peyote's active ingredient is called mescaline. Mescaline is a natural hallucinogenic drug. Peyote's button or center is harvested and most often chewed. It has a bitter taste due to the alkaloids anhalamine, anhalonine, anhalonidine, lophoporine, mescaline, and peyotine. After chewed or made into a tea. Peyote changes ones perceptions including senses of time, and mood. It is often said that Peyote producing visions for individuals. there are no side effects to the use of Peyote and it is not addicting. A five year study a Harvard concluded that Indians who had used peyote scored higher on mental health test then Indians who had not.** **Peyote has been used since the pre Columbian expedition. Its use has been traced back to around 1500's. A law in 1994 allowed some 300,000 Indians use peyote in the Native American Church for religious purposes.**

The Religion Peyotism
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 * Peyotism is a religion based upon the use of peyote. It is said to be used religiously as far back as ten thousand years. Peyotism has all the traits found in all other religions. Those traits are a doctrine, ethics, and a ritual. The Doctrine consists in a belief of the existence of power, spirits, and incarnation. Power is a supernatural power that has effects on things. It states a man needs power to be healthy and successful. The sprits include white spirits including God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, and even the Devil. The religion also has Indian spirits such as the Waterbird and the Peyote spirit. The incarnation states that God made the peyote cactus for the use by Indians for power. Peyotisms other incarnation is that water is sacred due to the fact that every living thing need water. Peyote Road is the code of ethics that the Indians must follow. The Peyote Road has four parts. The four ethics include brotherly love, care of family, self-reliance, and avoidance of alcohol. The Peyote Road is passed down to the young in a couple of ways. First way they learn it is that the young observe the ethics from the older tribe members. The Second being when they use peyote, peyote tells them how they should live their lives. The ritual is known as a rite or the Peyote rite. The Peyote rite is the Indian form of worship. It usually takes place in a tipi on a Saturday night. It usually last from 8pm to 8am. The Indian sits on the ground in front of a fireplace also known as the alter. in the center of the tipi the fireplace is placed and just in front of that is a crescent shaped half moon, know as The Moon. In the middle of the moon sits the peyote cactus with the button still attached. The Roadman or the Chief, which is the leader of the meeting sits opposite to the entrance with a drummer seated to his right. The leader selects a man to perform the rite or ritual. The rite has four parts, prayer, singing, the use of the peyote, and contemplation. The peyote cactus is passed around the group of people with them taking as much as wanted. After consuming the peyote one spends time in contemplation where he examines his life and where he has strayed from the Peyote Road. The confession is held usually in silence and is when he admits his sins and promises to discipline himself. It is not only used for visions but to heal ones self. This is accomplished in a number of ways. The Indian consumes enough to absorb enough power to heal himself. Another way is the Indian prays to God and other spirits to give him additional power to heal himself. The Third and probably the weirdest is the Indian consumes the peyote and then vomits, the vomit is said to cleanse the body of the illness. One Indian said “the Peyote Religion is the only thing left to us Indians. **



(1) "[|peyote.]" __The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition__. 2008. //Encyclopedia.com.// 12 Apr. 2011 <[|http://www.encyclopedia.com]>. This source is all about peyote. It is a general overview of peyote, what it is, who uses it, and a brief history. It is a good source to get to know a little but about peyote.

(2) "[|peyotism.]" __The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition__. 2008. //Encyclopedia.com.// 12 Apr. 2011 <[|http://www.encyclopedia.com]>. This tells me a brief overview of peyotism, the history and how it is used by the people.

(3) "The Peyote Road: Religious Freedom and the Native American Church. By Thomas Constantine Maroukis. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. Xii, 281 Pp. $29.95, ISBN 978-0-8061-4109-1.)." //Oxford Journals | Humanities | Journal of American History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. . This is an article from Christopher Vecsey from the Colgate University, it is an article on the history of peyote and the Native Americans.

(4) "MODERN PEYOTISM: ITS NATIVE INFLUENCES AND CONDITIONS FOR ITS DIFFUSION INTO THE UNITED STATES." N.p., n.d. Web. . This is an online document citing many sources about peyotism. It talks about the chemistry, effects, modern peyotism, the use by Native Americans, and briefly about some tribes.

(5) "Peyotism and Native American Spirituality | Fractal Enlightenment." //Fractal Enlightenment ~ We Are All One//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. . The article is about peyotism and the history of use within the Native American Church.

(6) Vecsey, Christopher. //Handbook of American Indian Religious Freedom//. New York: Crossroad, 1991. Print. This is a book avaliable at the Iowa State University Library. This book deals with the law side of peyote and why its legal for American Indians.

(7) Slotkin, James Sydney. //The Peyote Religion: a Study in Indian-white Relations//. New York: Octagon, 1975. Print. This book is avaliable at the Iowa State University Library. It is an older book but still have all the history and foundation of peyote use. It also has the tribes who have documantation to use peyote.

(8) Anderson, Edward F. //Peyote: the Divine Cactus//. Tucson: University of Arizona, 1996. Print. This book is avaliable at the Iowa State University Library. It is a book on the history of peyote. It deals with peyote in mexico and America. It has the effects of peyote and the ceremonies it is used for.

(9) Swan, Daniel C. //Peyote Religious Art: Symbols of Faith and Belief//. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 1999. Print. This book is avaliable at the Iowa State University Library. It deals with peyote and art. The use by the Native American Church as well as the atire and traditions.

(10) Hirschfelder, Arlene B., and Paulette Fairbanks. Molin. //The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions//. New York: MJF, 1996. Print. This is a book avaliable at the Iowa State University Library. It is a fairly large encyclopedia about all things Native American. I has serveral pages on the use of peyote by the Native Americans.

(11) Neuhaus, Richard J. "Church, State, and Peyote." //National Review// 11 June 1990: 40-44. Print. This is an article out of a journal. It deals with the Native American legal use of peyote with the balancing act with governments.

(12) Eckstrom, Kevin. "Study Finds Peyote Use Harmless." //The Toronto Star// [Toronto] 12 Nov. 2005. Print. This is a newspaper article out of Toronto that states that peyote use is harmless. It was a 5 year study that took into acount the mental scores of peyote indians using and not using peyote.

(13) Kunze, Rachel. "On the Native American Church and the Ritual Use of Peyote." //Drury University, Springfield, Missouri//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This website deals with the use of peyote with the Native American Church. It deals with the rituals and traisl done on peyote use. It was written by a girl from the University of Iowa.

(14) "Native American Church (North American Religion) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This is from the encyclopedia Britannica and is a very informative soure, however it is limited in context. It would be a very good place to start to get a general overview.

(15) Fikes, Jay. "Native American Church (NAC) Informat... - Indians of All Colors - Tribe.net." //Tribes - Tribe.net//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This page is an informative page on the Native American Church. It deals with its history, origination, and different tribes. It deals with the tribes by location.

(16) "Native American Church." //The Free Dictionary//. Web. []. This web site give a brief definition to The Native American Church. It states the reasons why the use of peyote such a spirts and visions.

(17) "Oklevueha Native American Church." Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This is the website of the Oklevueha Native American Church. It has their heritige and who all they serve.

(18) "NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH." //NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This is a site about the Native American Church in Tennessee. It states their mission as well as what they believe in. It also states their rituals and a little about the culture.

(19) "The Peyote Way Church of God." //The Peyote Way Church of God » Overview//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This is a chruch in Arizona that actively believes in the use of peyote. It states that they are protected federally with there use of peyote.

(20) Schultes, Richard E. "THE TRACKS OF THE LITTLE DEER." //A Brief History of Peyote//. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. []. This site tell you all about the history of peyote. It is a good overview about the history and use of peyote.