NOVA

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Narrator

In many cultures, psychedelics have been used in rites of passage and to gain wisdom, usually administered in specific religious and healing ceremonies. (birds chirping) In North America, some indigenous peoples use peyote, a cactus that grows in northern Mexico and a small region of south Texas. I am Adrian Primeaux. I come from five generations of peyote people, myself being the sixth, and then my son being the seventh generation. (Adrian speaking in foreign language) To me, peyote is a very intimate, medicinal herb. We use it as a guide. We use it as a means to synchronize with the universe. My grandparents explained to me at a very young age that we could acquire any means of success through medicine and peyote if we approached it with the right intent. -

Narrator

Peyote use can touch on many aspects of life. How this medicine is able to heal, there's a lot of complex facets. Within indigenous forms of thought, we believe that the spirit exists somewhere back there in the subconscious. It's connected to the universe. So this plant medicines helps you reach those depths of your ability to manifest whatever it is you can picture in your mind. Maybe you're picturing pain going away. Maybe you're picturing your cancer going away. Maybe you're picturing your body being helped. Maybe you're picturing education. Whatever it is that you're picturing, your subconscious brain has that power to create that for you, and this medicine is just a tool to help you to reach that point. (Adrian singing in foreign language) When we think about how native people have used these substances, it was a ritual. So there's something still really important about the setting, the ritualistic aspect. You can see this positive outcome. You can hear the positivity around you. All of that then gets encoded into the brain in a manner that, when you're not in that hallucinogenic state, it still stays with you. (gentle music) -

Narrator

A peyote cactus can take over 10 years to reach maturity. Since the arrival of Europeans Native American tribes have often been persecuted for peyote use and had limited access to the plant. Now commercial interests and poachers are putting pressure on peyote's fragile ecosystem. Recently, a philanthropist purchased 605 acres of peyote land here in South Texas to provide access for members of the Native American church, which teaches Native American traditions, sometimes elements of Christianity, and regards peyote as a sacrament. In order to assure that this medicine is going to be available, we have to have some kind of direct connection with this land. And this land, I think, is an answer to a prayer from years ago that there will be medicine for our children. This land means the world to all of us. Mother Earth and what she has provided us. This represents the future. It's about what you are going to teach your children, your grandchildren, what you're gonna leave behind, the essence of generational responsibilities. Words cannot suffice what the spirit feels in connecting with this land. (gentle music)