Peyote Religion: A HistoryIn this definitive work-a product of more than half a century of research and close observation-the noted anthropologist Omer C. Stewart provides a sweeping reconstruction of the rise of peyotism and the Native American Church. Although it is commonly known that the modern peyote religion became formalized around 1880 in western Oklahoma, it had roots in precontact American Indian ritual. Today it is practiced by thousands upon thousands of American Indians throughout the West. Long a subject of controversy, peyotism has become a unifying influence in Indian life, providing the basis for ceremonies, friendships, social gatherings, travel, marriage, and much more. As Stewart demonstrates, it has been a source of comfort and healing and a means of expression for a troubled people. |
Contents
The Plant | 3 |
Peyote Eaters and Their Ceremonies | 17 |
The Nineteenth Century | 45 |
The KiowaComanche Agency Locus of Peyotism | 68 |
The Spread of Peyote in Indian Territory | 97 |
Early Efforts to Suppress Peyote | 128 |
The Spread of Peyotism Beyond Oklahoma | 148 |
Efforts to Pass a Federal Law | 213 |
The Development of Peyotism in the Far West | 265 |
Chapter11 The Navajo | 293 |
Chapter12 Recent Developments | 319 |
A Peyote Ritual | 339 |
B Program of the Native American Church State Convention | 376 |
| 389 | |
| 437 | |
An International Church and the Further Spread | 239 |