Pipe, Bible and Peyote Among the Oglala Lakota a Study in Religious Identity
- List Price: $19.95
- Binding: Paperback
- Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr
- Publish date: 12/01/1998
Steinmetz describes the history, belief systems and contemporary ceremonies of three religious groups among the Oglala Lakota: traditional Lakota religion, the Native American Church, and the Body of Christ Independent Church, a small Pentecostal group. On the basis of these descriptions, Steinmetz discusses the interdynamics of Pipe, Bible, and Peyote, and offers a model for understanding Oglala religious identity. Steinmetz maintains that a sense of sacramentalism is essential in understanding Native American religions and that the mutual influence between Lakota religion and Christianity has been far more extensive than most scholars have suggested.