Objects of Purpose—Objects of Prayer: Peyote Boxes of the Native American Church

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PDF HTML Roadman’s Kit, Ute, Colorado, United States, ca. 1937 Weaving, Navajo, Ya-Ta-Hey, New Mexico, United States, ca. 1955 Peyote Box and Contents, Osage, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1940-1960 A diagram illustrating the contents of the Osage Peyote Kit discussed in Figure 3 Peyote Box, Dolores Thompson (Navajo), Navajo, Arizona, United States, ca. 1997 Peyote Box, Dolores Thompson (Navajo), Navajo, Arizona, United States, ca. 1997 Peyote Box, Dolores Thompson (Navajo), Navajo, Arizona, United States, ca. 1998 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Anadarko, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1950 Feather Box, Artist Unknown, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1955 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Osage, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1940 Peyote Box, Gus Mac Donald (Ponca), Ponca, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1954 Peyote Box, George “Dutch” Silverhorn (Kiowa), Kiowa, Anadarko, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1950 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Yankton (Sioux), South Dakota, United States, ca. 1965 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Yankton (Sioux), South Dakota, United States, ca. 1965 Peyote Box, Johnny Hoof (Arapaho), Kiowa, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1975 Peyote Box, Johnny Hoof (Arapaho), Kiowa, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1975 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1955 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1955 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Plains (Oklahoma?), United States, ca. 1960 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Plains (Oklahoma?), United States, ca. 1960 Peyote Box and Contents, Shawnee, Anadarko, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1940-1970 Peyote Box, Delbert Blackhorse (Navajo), Navajo, Utah, United States, 2010 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Comanche, Lawton, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1950 Peyote Box, Artist Unknown, Comanche, Lawton, Oklahoma, United States, ca. 1950
Published: Oct 27, 2010
Keywords:
Native American Art, Native American Church, Peyote, Woodworking, Painting, Material Culture Studies, Collections

Main Article Content

Daniel C. Swan
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Abstract

Peyote boxes are the containers that members of the Native American Church use to store and transport the ritual and personal objects used by participants in the night-long religious services of the Church. Peyote boxes can be classified into two basic forms; boxes specifically produced for use by Peyotists and a wide range of containers adapted for such use. In addition to their functional value, Peyote boxes also provide an additional arena for the expressive culture of Peyotism through the various media and methods employed to decorate and embellish their exterior surfaces. Through a lifetime of use, Peyote boxes become highly intimate, portable records of personal experience, both spiritual and secular. Peyote boxes provide a rich context for an examination of the criteria used by museums to collect objects and the potential for biased representations of the material world.

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Article Details

Issue
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2010)
Section
Peer-Reviewed Object Studies
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Author Biography

Daniel C. Swan, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Associate Curator of Ethnology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History