Peyote Shrines, Remembrance, and Ritual Surrogacy in South Texas

Summary

Peyote shrines in South Texas serve as vital sites for Native American Church members, providing the only chance for many to see peyote growing naturally. These shrines facilitate prayers and conversations that foster remembrance among generations and between Native Americans and dealers. They also hold surrogate ritual significance, allowing visitors to engage in rituals of thanks and healing, especially for those unable to access other sacred sites, thus expanding their spiritual connections.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Peyote grows in South Texas where licensed dealers acquire it and sell it to Native American Church members. These dealers also create and maintain special shrines on their property for the visiting buyers. The shrines not only mark a portal of entry into the region but also comprise the only opportunity many Native Americans will have to see peyote growing in the ground. Prompting prayers and conversations about ‘relations’ back home, the shrines kindle many acts of remembrance, both between generations of visitors and between Native Americans and dealers. Moreover, the ways that Native Americans perform actions at the shrines that tie into rituals of thanks, gathering, and healing associated with other places underscores the shrines’ surrogate ritual importance. This matters for visitors who cannot access other ritual sites. By anchoring memories and challenging conventional thinking about agency, peyote shrines activate thinking about kindred while extending the ritualists’ reach into adjacent spaces.

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