CHAPTER XVI 



THE PEYOTE Cl'LT 

 General Description 



Owing to the great importance of one of tlie modem cults found , 

 among the Wiimebago, the so-called Mescal or Peyote, it will be 

 discussed here m some detail. Not only is this cult of great promi- 

 nence in the life of the modem Wimiebago, but as its inception and 

 progress can be followed out m considerable detail it is of great 

 significance for the study of their religion. 



The ceremony is generally held m a buildmg called by the Peyote 

 worshipers a church, although it frequently takes place m the open 

 also. In the early days of its organization as many meetings as 

 possible were held. In 1910 there was a tendency to restrict the num- 

 ber and to have them generally take place on Saturday night. In 

 1913, after the first enthusiasm of the new converts had died out, the 

 author was mformed that the meetings were rarely held more than 

 once a week. Arountl Christmas and begiiuiing with July a series of 

 meetings was held, lasting from a week to 10 days, as a rule. The 

 Christmas meetings were not promment in 1910, but the July ones 

 seem to have been held from the beginnuig. They represent, of 

 course, merely a substitution for the older pagan ceremonies and 

 games that were held about that time. 



In the early days the ceremony was opened by a prayer from the 

 founder, and this was followed by an uitroductory speech. There- 

 upon the leader sang a Peyote song, to the accompaniment of a drum. 

 Then another speech was delivered, and when it was finished the 

 drum and other regalia were passed to the man to the right. This 

 man, m tnm, delivered a speech and sang a song, and when he was 

 finished, passed the regalia to the third man, who subsequently 

 passed it to the fourth one. The fourth man, when he was fijiished, 

 returned it to the leader. In this way the regalia passed from one 

 person to another throughout the night. It not uifrequently ]iai)pens 

 that one of these four gets tired and gives up his place temporarily to 

 some other member of the cult. At intervals they stopped to eat 

 or drink peyote. At about midnight the peyote, as a rule, beguis to 

 affect some people. These generally arise and deliver seK-accusatory 

 speeches, and make more or less formal confessions, after whicli they 

 go around shakuig hands with everj'one and askmg forgiveness. 

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