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The Peyote Religion Among The American Indians
The Peyote Religion Among The American Indians
TXT
By Patty Yuen
INTRODUCTION
Today, peyote use has become the most popular, and one of the most
durable of all the religious movements created by American Indians as a
result of the suffering as the effects of domination by American
society. Peyote use (in the United States) has thus evolved into what
is more accurately described as a religion: a system of symbols which
produces powerful, pervasive and long-lasting moods and motivations by
formulating conceptions of a general order of existence.
PEYOTE
The Plant
"For American Indians from the most ancient times, this experience
(induced by peyote) of `medicine power' -- sought ...everywhere at
least by shamans or medicine men..." -- motivated American Indians to
explore a plant that resulted in such impressive experiences by the
worshippers. The question arises, why are these characteristics of
peyote so important to a religion? The visions are not critical to the
peyotist, as one may have been led to believe; in fact they are rare or
absent in a large percentage of cases, and even disvalued by many
peyotists, although welcomed by many others.
This feeling of personal significance asks, "What does this mean for
me?" For example, if the worshipper is ill, he will be able to ask his
own bodily sensations and the events of the meeting for an
understanding of why he is ill and whether he is likely to get better.
Purpose
called can range from averting evil, promoting future good, or thanking
God for past blessings to celebrating a child's birth, a death,
obtaining rain, to divine and combat sorcery, to locate an enemy at
war, finding lost objects, foretell the future, and to "see the face of
Jesus" or the faces of dead relatives. Some tribes even hold meetings
on New Years Eve, Christmas, and Easter. Doctoring the sick is, however
the commonest reason for calling a meeting, but a quote from an old
Indian states that, however, when a man wishes to have a meeting, he
ordinarily finds little difficulty in discovering a reason for it, "In
the early days they just had a good time for one night. It was not used
as a curing ceremony then... at first they wanted to have good visions,
that's what they were after. But then, recently, they began to use it
as medicine for sick people."
The ceremonial use of peyote varies greatly from tribe to tribe, but a
general, or "universal" outline of a peyote ritual will be sufficient.
For those tribes who live beyond the habitat of peyote, they may have
to make pilgrimages in order to obtain peyote. For many Mexican
journeys, it is very ritualized, for example, they must walk, some
tribes require fasting even if the journey may last for a month. But
for the majority, this journey is not ritualized, although there is a
modest ceremony at the site. For example, on finding the first plant, a
Kiowa pilgrim sits west of it, rolls a cornshuck cigarette and prays,
"I have found you, now open up, show me where the rest of you are; I
want to use you to pray for the health of my people." He sings and eats
green plants while harvesting them; only the tops are taken, so that
the roots may regenerate buds for the next pilgrimage. In Mexican
tribes, the first button they find is saved as a "father peyote" for
meetings later, in the plains, it is the largest one.
Some individuals cherish and prize their father peyotes. Some even
become heirlooms. If one gives his away, or loses it, he may be subject
to misfortunes.
Singing and drumming begin, continuing until midnight. There are four
"peyote songs" which must be sung throughout the course of the night,
usually by the road chief: Hayatinayo (Opening Song), Yahiyano
(Midnight Song), Wakaho (Daylight Song), and Gayatina (Closing Song).
During this time, the paraphernalia, staff, drum, tobacco, peyote,
etc., are passed around to the left, in a clockwise circuit, for all
participants to handle.
passed around. Public confessions are common, lengthy prayers for the
purpose the meeting is held begin and continue until dawn, where a
morning water ceremony, like the midnight ceremony, is held, after the
four songs are completed. Again, it is brought in by a woman, whether
she has participated in the meeting or not, and is followed by more
singing and drumming, and prayers for the purpose and for the
worshippers themselves. This ceremony is the morning "baptism" or
"curing" rite. Singing and drumming again, and then the meeting closes
with a ceremonial breakfast of parched corn, boneless meat, fruit, and
water. A lot of joking, and discussion of the night's events and
experiences occur. And at sometime between ten in the morning and one
in the afternoon, a large meal is served.
Peyote is also used in war for courage, in order to not feel fatigue in
long journeys, etc. Peyote in fact gave power to perform shamanistic
tricks in the old days.
(4) - psychic deprivation, which results in the search for new meaning
and values, and
CONCLUSION
December 4, 1989
WORKS CITED
Artaud, Antonin. The Peyote Dance. New York: Farrar, Strauss and
Giroux, Inc., 1976.
LaBarre, Weston. The Peyote Cult. Connecticut: The Shoe String Press,
1975.
NOTES
22 Benitez.
23 LaBarre, p.60.
24 LaBarre, p.26.
25 LaBarre, p.65.
26 LaBarre, p.42.
27 Artaud.
28 LaBarre, p.87.
29 LaBarre, p.29.
30 Aberle, p.338.
31 Aberle, p.338.
32 Aberle, p.334.
33 Aberle, p.335.