Brief Historical Overview

Outlaw of Ancient Medicine Practice

Although the thorn-less, ground-hugging Peyote cactus grows naturally only in North Central Mexico and a small part of southwestern Texas, there is archaeological evidence that dried Peyote "buttons" were an item of widespread trade among the American Indians of the Southwestern United States as much as 1,000 years ago. Many mind-altering plants were used by the pre-Colombian Indians for religious purposes, almost universally referred to as "spirit helpers". European conquerors were not sympathetic to such use of Peyote, however, any more than they were to the sacred mushrooms of the Mazatecs or the oliluquoy (a variety of morning glory seed) of the Aztecs. The cultural gulf between the two world views is still well-illustrated by a single widespread misconception: Americans of European extraction almost universally believe that native shamans or "witch doctors" feed their patients hallucinogenic brews as "medicine." In fact, the almost-universal practice among Native cultures is for the doctor to ritually consume the consciousness-altering drugs in order to perceive, through revelation, the nature of the patient's illness.

Showing little interest in such distinctions, the conquistadors dismissed the resultant states of consciousness as mere "drunkenness," called the sacramental use of the plants "witchcraft," and tried ruthlessly to stamp out the practice. Those sacred or revered plants which were not banned - like tobacco and cocoa - were debased into casual recreations. Although the natural hallucinogen continued to be used - along with such non-chemical methods as fasting and sweat lodges - by holy men in private, by the early years of this century, anthropologists could find only one tribe where Peyote religious rituals seem to have survived intact from pre-conquest times: the Wixarica or "Huichol". However, in the late 19th century, a new and defiant religion, the Ghost Dance, arose among the last surviving free Indians of the American West. Practitioners danced at night around fires, believing that participation would make the warriors invulnerable to the army's bullets.

It didn't, and many of the surviving leaders of the Ghost Dance became road chiefs of the less-confrontational Peyote churches which began to organize on the reservations around the turn of the century, attempting to recapture Indian spiritualism in a non-violent form, organizing Peyote use into group ritual, often involving the passing of a bowl of Peyote tea during an all night religious ceremony, similar to the practice of the Huichol.

Genocide of Native American and Other Peoples

In older U.S. textbooks, the subjugation of this land and her people was described as "Manifest Destiny" and "subduing the native". The truth is, the European invasion of North America was one of the biggest land grabs in the history of this planet. The U.S. Anglo should be aware of the crimes committed against the Native American people during the colonization of this country, to better grasp her/his karmic load and debt to Native American people, and the planet in general.

Recommended Historical Reading

  1. Blood Brother by Elliot Arnold A historical novel concerning the remarkable relationship between Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise and non-Indian Tom Jeffords of Tucson. Cochise, the native whose reputation created the saying, "honest indian," demonstrated that courage earned respect in Apache culture regardless of race. Jeffords stood alone between the Chiricahua and murderous non-Indians and the U.S. military.
  2. The Camp Grant Massacre by Elliot Arnold. A historical novel concerning the massacre of unarmed Aravaipa Apaches by Tucson residents and the Papago. (Know your Spirit Walk area!)
  3. Apache, Navajo and Spaniard by Jack Forbes. This book describes the Spanish influence that started with the Conquistadors.
  4. Once They Moved Like the Wind by David Roberts. A history of the Chiricahua, who made their home in Southeast Arizona. (Know your Spirit Walk area!)
  5. Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn You might at first be put off by this truthful, fiery, but ultimately cleansing dialogue between Indian and white. But somewhere around page 50, old Dan starts speaking universal truths. This is a very easy read and all of it presents a pretty good picture of how Native Americans—still POWs on the worst of the land that once belonged to them—feel about white people and why.
  6. The Old Way By Elizabeth Marshall Thomas The author of this book and her family went to find and study the Kalahari Bushmen in the 1950's. She and her family were privileged to meet and know the Kalahari group she calls the Ju/wasi while they were living the "old way". The old way is one of control and cooperation as these small extended family groups depended on each other for survival. All food was shared, regardless of the hunter or gatherer who found it, and social bonds are encouraged throughout their lives by frequent gift giving. Marshall Thomas has written numerous books and is empathetic to the degree that the reader of this book was brought to tears by the information relayed in the final chapters. We Europeans need to learn about this way more than any other people, as it was our people who moved into their lands and moved them out. Although she is objective in her reporting, Elizabeth Thomas has earned her place among my personal heros with Jane Goodall, as a person who has done a lot to try to help these beautiful people.