Peyote Drummer (1927)
Photogravure
Portfolio XIX, plate 687

"The Peyote cult as it exists today can be considered in many ways as the most interesting religious organization among the North American Indians. The cult is predicated upon the use of peyote, a variety of cactus growing in Texas and northern Mexico. An important feature of the ceremony is the eating of the peyote "button", the small core at the center of the plant. No Indian custom has been the subject of greater controversy or has led to the adoption of more laws and regulations with a view of abolishing it, largely because its effects have been misunderstood by white people." -Curtis

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