How can the Native American Church help heal Cancer?
The mid 1800’s was a time of great pain and suffering to all Native Americans who were confined to reservations. The pain and suffering was due to the loss of their homeland and individuality. Tribes were not allowed to speak their language, hunt, or practice their ceremonies which gave them guidance and balance. It was during this time of agony that peyote was introduced to Southwestern tribes, who were in need of spiritual uplifting and cultural strength. It may be because it provided an alternative to both tribal orientation and “missionary controlled versions of Christianity,” that the peyote religion spread like wildfire among these tribes. In the 1800s, two new ceremonies were popular among Native Americans. One, the Ghost Dance, tried to bring back the old ways. The Ghost Dance disappeared after the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The other was the peyote ceremony, which allowed a connection between traditional sacred practices and Christian elements. From the southwestern tribes
