Comprehensive Study: Psychedelics and THC in Native American Cultures from Brazil to Canada

Historical and Present-Day Perspectives

This study explores the profound role of psychedelics and THC-containing substances in Indigenous cultures across the Americas, from the Amazonian tribes of Brazil to the First Nations of Canada. Drawing on archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence, it highlights sacred uses for healing, spirituality, and community rites. While psychedelics like ayahuasca and peyote have deep roots, THC's integration is more recent in northern regions but aligns with traditional plant medicine practices.

Introduction

The Americas are rich in psychoactive plants and fungi, integral to Indigenous spiritual, medicinal, and ritual practices for millennia. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["3c240a"]}) From the hallucinogenic mushrooms of Mesoamerica to the ayahuasca brews of the Amazon, these substances facilitated connections to the divine, healing, and cultural continuity. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["fea6e3"]}) THC, derived from cannabis, has a contested pre-Columbian history in the north but is increasingly embraced in modern Indigenous contexts. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["19144a"]}) This report spans Brazil's Amazonian tribes to Canada's First Nations, examining historical origins and contemporary revivals amid the global "psychedelic renaissance." [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["2d14f9"]})

Historical Use in South America (Brazil and Amazonian Tribes)

In Brazil's Amazon, ayahuasca—a brew of Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis leaves containing DMT—has been central to Indigenous shamanism for centuries. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["48b452"]}) Used by over 160 groups like the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) and Noke Koi, it induces visions for healing, divination, and spiritual guidance. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["5526d2"]}) Archaeological evidence suggests use predates European contact, with mestizo adaptations during colonial rubber booms forming urban ayahuasca religions like Santo Daime. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["1836b4"]})

Other hallucinogens include yopo snuff (Anadenanthera peregrina) and ebene (Virola spp.) among Orinoco tribes, and Brugmansia (angel's trumpet) for visionary trances in Andean-South American cultures. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["68ec12","8276cb"]}) Cannabis evidence is sparse pre-Columbian but THC traces in Peruvian mummies (AD 115–1500) indicate early ritual or medicinal use. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["2cfad3"]})

Substance	Cultures/Tribes	Historical Use
Ayahuasca	Huni Kuin, Shipibo-Konibo, Tukano	Shamanic healing, spirit communication (pre-19th century)
Yopo/Ebene Snuff	Yanomami, Waika	Visionary rites, warfare preparation
Cannabis (THC traces)	Peruvian coastal cultures	Possible medicinal/ritual (AD 115–1500)

Historical Use in Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central Regions)

Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztecs, Maya, and Olmec revered psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe spp., "teonanácatl" or "flesh of the gods") for divination and rituals, documented in the Florentine Codex (16th century). [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["c11c4e","fd5790"]}) Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) was used by Huichol and Chichimeca for hunts and healing, containing mescaline. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["af0867"]}) Datura (jimsonweed) and ololiuhqui seeds (Turbina corymbosa) induced trances, often in enemas or snuffs. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["6f85c0"]}) Spanish colonizers suppressed these, but Mazatec shamans like María Sabina preserved traditions into the 20th century. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["d9990e"]})

Cannabis arrived post-contact but integrated into folk medicine; early THC use may link to broader entheogen complexes. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["8e8c87"]})

Substance	Cultures/Tribes	Historical Use
Psilocybin Mushrooms	Mazatec, Nahua, Mixtec	Divination, healing ceremonies (3000+ years)
Peyote	Huichol, Aztec	Vision quests, origin myths
Datura	Olmec, Zapotec	Trance induction, sorcery

Historical Use in North America (USA and Canada)

Peyote spread north via Apache and spread to Plains tribes, forming the Native American Church (NAC) in 1918 for legal protection. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["a6b877","2a41bf"]}) NAC ceremonies blend Christianity and Indigenous spirituality, using peyote for healing alcoholism and trauma. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["624191"]}) Mescal beans and sweet flag were used by Cree and Arapaho for dances. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["5b9570"]})

Cannabis (hemp) arrived with Vikings or colonizers (~1000 AD), but Indigenous use is post-contact; Cherokee lore mentions "gatunlati" (cannabis/alien plant). [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["82636d"]}) Psilocybin evidence is limited north of Mexico, though Pacific Northwest species exist without clear ceremonial records. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["1ad5b7"]})

Substance	Cultures/Tribes	Historical Use
Peyote	Kiowa, Comanche, NAC	All-night prayer meetings (late 1800s)
Cannabis	Cherokee, Hopewell Mound Builders	Medicinal, possible ritual (post-1000 AD)
Sweet Flag	Cree, Northern tribes	Storytelling, ceremonies

Present-Day Use and Challenges

Today, ayahuasca retreats thrive in Brazil, blending Indigenous and mestizo traditions, legalized for religious use since the 1980s. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["c8bf9c"]}) NAC peyote ceremonies continue, aiding recovery from addiction. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["665e0e"]}) In Canada, First Nations explore psychedelics via centers like Naut sa mawt, using psilocybin for intergenerational trauma. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["9c6bef","c0e204"]}) Cannabis legalization empowers Indigenous growers on reserves. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["ccf4c6"]})