Peyote

Peyote is a type of cactus. It is used in peyote ceremonies as a medicine or recreational drug.

Sacred Pipe

The sacred pipe is used in nearly all Indian rituals. The pipe is smoked and passed around to participants so they can all take part in the restorative power of the herbs.

Mission School

The mission school is run by Catholic nuns who rule with a whip. Mary, her sister, her mother, and her grandmother all attended a mission school. None of them attend by choice. The nuns mistreat the girls, embarrass them, and try to "whitemanize" them. Mary rebels and ends up leaving the school before graduating.

Wounded Knee

Wounded Knee is the site of two important events in Native American history. The first occurs over a hundred years before the second. At the first Wounded Knee, soldiers massacre innocent women and children without reason. The...