Peyotism and the Native American Church

The largest religion begun, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans, Peyotism includes the use of peyote in its ceremonies. As a sacred plant of divine origin, peyote use was well established in religious rituals in pre-Columbian Mexico. Toward the end of the 19th century Peyotism spread to the Indians of Texas and the Southwest, and it spread rapidly in the United States after the subsidence of the Ghost Dance. It persists today among Native Americans in Northern Mexico, the United States, and Southern Canada. Possibly because of the controversy over peyote use, a lot has been written about the Native American Church. This bibliography provides a useful guide for scholars, students, and Native Americans who want to research Peyotism.The bibliography includes books and book chapters, master's theses, Ph.D. dissertations, magazine and journal articles, conference papers, museum publications, U.S. government publications, audiovisual materials, and World Wide Web sites. In addition, it includes selected articles from newspapers, law reviews, medical and psychiatric journals, and scientific journals that provide information on Peyotism. A valuable research guide, the bibliography will help to provide a greater understanding of the history, ceremonies, and significance of the pan-Indian religion.

?White presents significant works, intelligently identified, selected and evaluated for its audience of researchers, librarians, Native Americans, and general readers. A librarian and experience bibliographer on Native American topics, White provides a thorough introduction to the history and significance of Peyotism and its incorporated body, The Native American Church....Like others in the series, the volume for clear organization, attractive format, wide margins high-quality paper, strong binding. Recommended for all collections.?-Choice, "White presents significant works, intelligently identified, selected and evaluated for its audience of researchers, librarians, Native Americans, and general readers. A librarian and experience bibliographer on Native American topics, White provides a thorough introduction to the history and significance of Peyotism and its incorporated body, The Native American Church....Like others in the series, the volume for clear organization, attractive format, wide margins high-quality paper, strong binding. Recommended for all collections."-Choice

PHILLIP M. WHITE is Reference Librarian and Bibliographer for American Indian Studies at San Diego State University and also serves as Adjunct Professor in the American Indian Studies Department. His earlier books include The Native American Sun Dance Religion and Ceremony: An Annotated Bibliography (Greenwood, 1998) and The Kickapoo Indians, Their History and Culture (Greenwood, 1999).