Peyote Politics: The Making of the Native American Church, 1880–1937 (Volume 24)

by Lisa Dawn Barnett

262 pages, Hardcover

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Tanja Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historian Lisa Barnett presents a well researched study of some Native American attempts to legitimize the use of peyote in their religious rituals, focusing on the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. Dr. Barnett looks at it’s introduction in various western tribes, efforts to fight state and federal anti-peyote legislation in light of racialized anti-drug messages, its trade routes, and how Native Americans successfully used the American political system and the First Amendment to fight for their rights to use peyote in their religious ceremonies. Not a subject I thought I’d be interested in—but this was interesting and I’m glad I read this book!