Pan-Indianism

Pan-Indian Religious Movements

One of the largest Pan-Indian religious movements is the Native American Church (NAC), related to the Peyote Cult from which it evolved, both of [Page 1677]which are known for the religious consumption of peyote (used for thousands of years). The NAC began in the 1870s on reservations in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and gained legal protection when it became incorporated in 1918. The NAC combines a range of American Indian traditions and practices along with Christian imagery and theology. Repeatedly attacked for the sacramental use of peyote, the NAC gives members a Pan-Indian identity that allows them to maintain traditional beliefs within modern society.

Pan-Indian Organizations

The Society of American Indians (SAI) was founded in 1911 and existed until 1923. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., SAI was the first national American Indian organization developed and run by a membership that was exclusively American Indian, primarily middle class, and educated, rather than European American advocates for American Indian rights (so-called Friends of the Indians).

SAI pursued the goals of national Indian reform through education and government policy, which also included securing Indian citizenship. The organization had its first annual conference in 1911 and published a journal from 1913 until 1920 (originally titled the Quarterly Journal of the American Indian, later renamed the American Indian Magazine).

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was founded at a meeting in Denver, Colorado, in 1944. There, 80 delegates from 50 tribes united in opposition to the U.S. government's termination policy that encouraged assimilation by abolishing tribal governments, undermining treaty rights and tribal sovereignty. The NCAI is the oldest and one of the most influential Pan-Indian national political organizations; its principal aim is to improve the quality of Indian life by monitoring federal Indian legislation and contributing to the formation of federal policy that protects tribal sovereignty. The opening of the Embassy of Tribal Nations in the U.S. capital in 2009 is a testimony to the organization's efforts. In the 21st century, the NCAI has also expanded its role by collaborating with indigenous peoples around the globe.

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