The Peyote Cult

Written during a pivotal period of cultural transition, this seminal ethnographic study offers one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of the Peyote ceremony among Native American communities. Drawing on first-hand testimonies from the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) people, Paul Radin documents how the ritual combined Indigenous spirituality with Christian influences to create a powerful expression of faith, healing, and resilience. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century cultural upheaval, the book traces the ceremonial use of the Peyote cactus as both a sacred sacrament and a symbol of continuity amid colonial pressure. Through Radin's meticulous observations, readers gain insight into a religious movement that not only survived but flourished as the Native American Church-preserving its profound spiritual and communal significance for generations to come.