The Peyote road: religious freedom and the Native American Church
Choice Reviews Online March 1, 2011 DOI: 10.5860/choice.48-4068 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Native American Church members and leaders |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Religious freedom Religious studies Law Economic freedom |
| Citations | 44 |
| Key points | Argues that the Native American Church has become the largest indigenous denomination among American Indians despite federal restrictions on peyote use, and that its history involves ongoing legal struggles to defend religious practice. |
Abstract
Despite challenges by the federal government to restrict the use of peyote, the Native American Church, which uses the hallucinogenic cactus as a religious sacrament, has become the largest indigenous denomination among American Indians today. The Peyote Road examines the history of the NAC, including its legal struggles to defend the controversial use of peyote.Thomas C. Maroukis has conducted extensive interviews with NAC members and leaders to craft an authoritative account of the church's history, diverse religious practices, and significant people. His book integrates a narrative history of the Peyote faith with analysis of its religious beliefs and practices - as well as its art and music - and an emphasis on the views of NAC members. Deftly blending oral histories and legal research, Maroukis traces the religion's history from its Mesoamerican roots to the legal incorporation of the NAC; its expansion to the northern plains, Great Basin, and Southwest; and challenges to Peyotism by state and federal governments, including the Supreme Court decision in Oregon v. Smith. He also introduces readers to the inner workings of the NAC with descriptions of its organizational structure and the Cross Fire and Half Moon services. The Peyote Road updates Omer Stewart's classic 1987 study of the Peyote religion by taking into consideration recent events and scholarship. In particular, Maroukis discusses not only the church's current legal issues but also the diminishing Peyote supply and controversies surrounding the definition of membership. Today approximately 300,000 American Indians are members of the Native American Church. The Peyote Road marks a significant case study of First Amendment rights and deepens our understanding of the struggles of NAC members to practice their faith.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schizophrenia: A New Approach. II. Result of a Year's Research | 1954 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Thought insertion as a self-disturbance: An integration of predictive coding and phenomenological approaches | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Entactogens: How the Name for a Novel Class of Psychoactive Agents Originated | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Steric and Electronic Relationships among Some Hallucinogenic Compounds | 1970 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| EFFECT OF DRUGS One individual | 1952 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Day trip to hell: A mixed methods study of challenging psychedelic experiences Journal of Psychedelic Studies May 27, 2021
- The Production of Entheogenic Communities in the United States Cambridge University Press eBooks July 31, 2024
- Entheogenic Spirituality: Characteristics of Spiritually Motivated Psychedelics Use International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 2023
- Mescaline, Peyote and San Pedro: Is sustainability important for cacti consumers? Journal of Psychedelic Studies August 19, 2023
- Entheogens: Psychedelic religion in the United States, part two Religion Compass November 1, 2023
and 6 more in the library