Peyote and the Yankton Sioux: The Life and Times of Sam Necklace

Abstract

Like beef stew eaten outdoors on a summer afternoon in rural South Dakota, this history isn't fancy, but it satisfies with its substance. It tells the story of seven generations of a Yankton Sioux (Ihanktonwan Dakota) family, focusing on two men, Sam Necklace (1881–1949) and his grandson, Asa Primeaux Sr. (1931–2003). They lived full lives, sustained by the tipospaye (extended family) and restored by Yankton religion, especially Peyote religion, which they championed throughout the twentieth century. Peyote saved Sam Necklace, “calmed” him down (p. 124), and opened new roles for him as a roadman or spiritual leader. His conversion echoes those of countless Indians, a positive pattern documented by generations of scholars but ignored by opponents of Peyote. As the book details, Bureau of Indian Affairs (bia) agents waged a virtual war on the religion, individual states banned possession of the sacred plant, and Christian missionaries propagandized against the religion, even though— or perhaps because?—the variant practiced by leaders such as Necklace, the “Cross Fire,” featured the Bible in ceremonies and interpreted peyote's consumption sacramentally.