Paper Summary:

Discusses conflicts between religioius practitioners of Peyotism and American laws and society. First Amendment protection vs. traditional use of psychedelic drug (peyote/mescal). History of Peyotism; its rites & ceremonies. Its religious significance. Its social & cultural characteristics. The Ghost Dance. Sense of identity. Actions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) & traditional Christian missionaries. Current legal status of the religion of Peyotism.

From the Paper:

"Peyotism is the largest religion started, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans and gets its title from the fact that members of the religion use the peyote - sometimes referred to as mescal - in their ceremonies, a point that has caused fascinating legal challenges between those supporting the First Amendment protection of freedom of religious practice in the United States and those who wish to prohibit the use of hallucinogenic drugs for what they see as recreational (or at least on-medicinal) purposes. Peyotism has also brought the Native Americans into conflict with mainstream society, and one might speculate that part of the reason that the followers of peyotism have been so adamant in their insistence on using it is the Indians wish to wrest some control of ceremony and cultural identity back from the society that tried so hard for so many years ..."

Visitors who viewed this Essay also liked these:

• Essay # 58809 : "Peyotism"
• Essay # 19013 : "Peyote in the Native American Church"
• Essay # 58407 : "The Peyote Religion"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: