Peyote Analysis in Lakota Woman

Peyote is a type of cactus that has psychoactive properties. Many Native American tribes smoke or otherwise consume peyote for spiritual and medicinal purposes.

Peyote Quotes in Lakota Woman

The Lakota Woman quotes below are all either spoken by Peyote or refer to Peyote. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

I haven’t touched a drop of liquor for years, ever since I felt there was a purpose to my life, learned to accept myself for what I was. I have to thank the Indian movement for that, and Grandfather Peyote, and the pipe.

Related Characters: Mary Crow Dog (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 45

Explanation and Analysis:

I have visited many tribes. They have different cultures and speak different languages. They may even have different rituals when partaking of this medicine. They may be jealous of each other […] But once they meet inside the peyote tipi, all differences are forgotten. Then they are no longer Navajos, or Poncas, Apaches, or Sioux, but just Indians. They learn each others’ songs and find out that they are really the same. Peyote is making many tribes into just one tribe. And it is the same with the Sun Dance which also serves to unite the different Indian nations.

Related Characters: Mary Crow Dog (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 101

Explanation and Analysis:

Peyote Term Timeline in Lakota Woman

The timeline below shows where the term Peyote appears in Lakota Woman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon

...elders. She went to her great-uncle Dick Fool Bull, who took her to her first peyote meeting, and her grandmother’s niece, Elsie Flood. Elsie was a “turtle woman,” which means that... (full context)

Unity, Inclusion, and Equality Theme Icon

...who practiced traditional Lakota rituals. He was the one who took Mary to her first peyote meeting. (full context)

At her first peyote meeting, Mary took a lot of the medicine. Upon taking peyote, she felt in the... (full context)

Two weeks later, Mary had a dream that she believes the peyote and its spiritual power caused. She dreamed of white soldiers attacking a Native American camp,... (full context)

Mary believes that she only fully understood the meaning and significance of peyote after she married Leonard Crow Dog. Leonard is a peyote priest, as well as a... (full context)

Peyote is once such herb that Native Americans use for spiritual purposes. Peyote doesn’t grow north... (full context)

While it is legal for Native Americans to buy and use peyote for their religious ceremonies, many people exploit the Native American Church’s use of peyote by... (full context)

Mary sees peyote as a great unifier among the Native Americans. Although each tribe has different rituals when... (full context)

The songs of peyote meetings incorporate the voices of the items used: the pebbles in the rattle, the magpie... (full context)

...the victims of this religious persecution. After white priests discovered that Henry was hosting a peyote ceremony, government officials drove Henry from his home in the middle of a blizzard, which... (full context)

After marrying Leonard, Mary made several trips with him to purchase or harvest peyote from the south. During these trips, Mary and Leonard often stayed with southern tribes, such... (full context)

While it is now legal for members of the Native American Church to harvest peyote, it was not always this way. One significant court case happened when a sheriff tried... (full context)

Recently, Mary and Leonard have harvested peyote, rather than purchasing it from a dealer. Not only do they avoid the inflated prices... (full context)

After one harvest, Mary and her companions were driving their car—which was filled with peyote—from Mexico to Texas when someone exclaimed that they needed to get rid of all the... (full context)

In addition to the occasional peyote or yuwipi ceremonies, the sweat lodges were operating daily. After one evening sweat, federal officers... (full context)

...Leonard returned to Wounded Knee. He gave Pedro a Native American name and held a peyote meeting, which Mary participated in. It was around this time that some California supporters sent... (full context)

With the help of another man, Estes Stuart, Leonard held a peyote meeting for Mary. During the meeting, Estes declared that Mary was suffering from a “love... (full context)

...disoriented. In an effort to keep his sanity, Leonard sang, even making up his own peyote songs. (full context)

According to Lakota legend, women were also behind the discovery of peyote. Mary retells the story, in which a woman and her granddaughter heard the plant calling... (full context)

Peyote Term Analysis

Peyote Quotes in Lakota Woman

Peyote Term Timeline in Lakota Woman