Peyote

In Native American religions a dance called the Sun Dance is used as the rite of passage for young men. You men would stick a rod though their peck and dance around a pole of three days as a way to become connected with the Spirit World. The pole is used to show strength and the boys would quickly have to get the rod out by dancing. Another rite of passage in Native Americans religions is the Vision Quest. Young boys and girls partake in this to find their spirit animals. They go into the woods mostly naked and sometimes covered in body paint and fast in the woods for days. Eventually a spirit comes to them, most of the time as an animal but it can be in human form, and is said to be their guardian

Although, the ritual has been passed on from generation to generation, how the Navajo rituals are ways of communication has been questioned by so many. Many believe that it way for the patient to come into “…harmony…

tribal members profess their dedication to their traditions and beliefs. "The feast of the New Yam

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

Horace Miner wrote the article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”, in which he described and detailed the various body rituals practiced among the Nacirema culture. Horace starts the article by explaining that anthropologists encounter all types of cultural and ritualistic extremities, but the Nacirema body rituals are among some of the most extreme observed. The

Another case in regards to the first amendment was the Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith. This case was related to the first amendments freedom of religion. In the case two Native Americans were fired from their jobs because they took peyote for sacramental purposes. Peyote is the common name for a small, turnip-shaped cactus native to Mexico. The active hallucinogenic material in peyote is mescaline. Peyote alters perceptions, producing vivid hallucinations, inaccurate estimations of

One of the rituals was the Death Ceremony. “Native Americans celebrated death, knowing that it was an end to life on Earth, but, believing it to be the start of life in the Spirit World” (“Native…”). This ceremony was preformed to make sure that their soul would not star and roam the earth. The different tribes did different things in these rituals, some gave the dead food or herbs. Others may give gifts to make sure the trip to the afterlife was safe. They would also dress them in traditional clothes and wash them with yucca suds and putting prayer feathers that were tied around the forehead and then they were buried with some of their favorite things. Another ritual was the healing ritual which were often held to bring people to harmony within themselves. There are some differences from tribe to tribe in what they do in the ritual but some would sing and dance and it could last for days and others would use the medicine wheel and a hoop that was sacred to

There are three key patterns seen in most Native American religions they are the human relationship with nature, framing of time and space and respect for gods/ancestors. The human relationship with nature known as animism, everything is seen as part of the same reality and every object has a spirt, is a practice where there is little distinction between humans and animals. Time and space is sacred, cyclical,

Quanah Parker, the credited founder of the Native American Church, adopted the peyote religion after he suffered a near death experience fighting federal troops. He claims that Jesus Christ came to him and told him that he needed to take the peyote religion to the Indian Peoples to atone for his many killings and misdeeds (Toquerville). The establishment of the Native American Church allowed the use of peyote for religious uses and for many it provided a powerful alternative to both ancient tribal religions and missionary-controlled versions of Christianity which caused it spread like wildfire across tribes (Fikes). Faced with the suppression of many traditional rituals from the US Government, many Native Americans took solace in peyote ceremonies because they took place quietly and they were protected under the law (Toquerville). It was not just Native Americans that took part in these ceremonies. In 1956, Saskatoon Star Phoenix featured an article in which white men experienced peyote rites and one of the observers remarked that peyote ceremonies offer a tremendous religious experience that intensify the awareness of God. He also said that they provide an enormous cohesive force for the American Indian when they have had nothing to unify behind in a long time (Dyck).

vigorously through the tribes. The religion was a vision of a new world of only Indians, a world without

Also it should be noted that depending on the tribe or group leader, elements of Christianity figure prominently through the ceremony (www. peyote. net). The majority of the peyotism practiced in the United States can be identified with the Native American Church (NAC). There are many divisions of the NAC, and each chapter is composed of several auxiliary chapters or moons, Each chapter has officers who are trained to carry out the various tasks associated with the peyote ceremony. The most prominent position is that of Road Chief who is responsible for governing the main elements of the meeting as well as leading the participants down "The Peyote Road" or the way of learning to live life well (www.peyote.net), There are other offices held in the ceremony such as Cedar Man, Fire Man, Drum Man, and Earth Mother, and while many chapters have their own variances of the ceremony, many share common ceremonial elements along with the adherence to the practice of avoiding alcohol, devotion to family, and general moral living (www.peyote.net).

While hemp was a serious problem for the Tuscarora people, the use of peyote was and still is a very controversial platform. Grown in central and northern parts of Mexico, peyote has been a part of native life even before the colonial days. Peyote is used as a part of spiritual ceremonies, and it is usually held in a tepee by the tribe’s medicine man. Currently, the use of peyote is now only to be used for rituals and ceremonies performed within the Native American Church (Hopkins). Although the traditional use of peyote had been legalized through the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, “the transportation, possession, and use of peyote by unauthorized parties for use other than bona fide traditional ceremonial purposes is strictly prohibited” (Hopkins).

They had ceremonies for several things. They have Midwinter ceremonies, Nature ceremonies, Maple sap ceremonies, Planting ceremonies, Bean ceremonies, Strawberry ceremonies, Green corn ceremonies, and Harvest ceremonies. Dances and songs are preformed counter clockwise. Some dances are preformed by men. Others are preformed by women. However both kept a beat played on drums and rattles. They like to have funny and fun ceremonies. The Onondaga tribe usually wears headdresses but women and men wear a type of skirt with sandals or slippers. The clothing they wear is specifically called The Gustoweh. The Gustoweh describes one nationality. The women and men would wear a type of pair of shoes that are like slippers with a flower on the front. They didn't wear long headdresses like the

The roots and customs of Native American tribes run deep. A feeling of respect and tradition is in the air. Every little detail has meaning and a certain level of pride and of importance to each individual taking part in the ceremony. According to Access

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?