Big and Little Moon Peyotism as health care delivery systems.
D Wiedman
Medical Anthropology November 1, 1990 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.1990.9966032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnographic and historical comparison Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Delaware, Osage, Quapaw, Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche peoples of Oklahoma |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Humans Medicine, traditional Indians, north american Health services, indigenous Oklahoma |
| Key findings | Argues that Big Moon Peyotism (introduced in the 1880s by John Wilson) and the Little Moon ritual formed the basis of the two major variations of Peyotism across North America, and that these traditions function as health care delivery systems, with health care being an important factor in the religion's acceptance and persistence. |
Abstract
Big Moon Peyotism was introduced in the 1880s to the Delaware, Osage and Quapaw of Northeast Oklahoma by John Wilson, a Delaware-Caddo from Southwest Oklahoma. This form of Peyotism and the Little Moon ritual developed by the Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche of Southwest Oklahoma formed the basis of the two major variations of this religion as practiced by Native Americans throughout North America. An ethnographic and historic comparison of these religious traditions in Northeast Oklahoma presents these as health care delivery systems and highlights the importance of health care as a factor in the acceptance and persistence of Peyotism.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyote as Earth Medicine: Examining How Symbolic Meanings Shape Experiences With Psychedelics People who use peyote in religious ceremonies | 2023 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The Use of Peyote as Treatment for Alcoholism within the NAC Community: Reflections on a Study | 2011 | Interview | |
| Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities: Supplementing clinical studies with anecdotal reports Posts from online psychedelic forums (The Shroomery and DMT Nexus) on trip sitting | 2024 | Qualitative study with Delphi-style expert panel review | n = 660 |
| Hitting the Reset Button: Ceremonial Use of Peyote and Experiences of Personal Change People who attended peyote ceremonies in rural Northcentral Alabama | 2024 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The San Pedro Cactus (Equinopsis pachanoi): Ancestral and Modern Therapeutic Uses in Peru Curanderos in the Túcume district of northern Peru | 2025 | Qualitative study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Psychedelics as medicines for substance abuse rehabilitation: evaluating treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. Current Drug Abuse Reviews 2014
- Communalistic use of psychoactive plants as a bridge between traditional healing practices and Western medicine: A new path for the Global Mental Health movement. Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022
- Psychedelic drugs as a long-needed innovation in psychiatry Qeios April 27, 2020
- Anthropology of Psychedelics Anthropology of Consciousness April 20, 2025
- The Ethnopharmacological Use of Mescaline for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review International Journal of Molecular Sciences March 28, 2026
and 1 more in the library