While many counterculturalists in the 1960s and 70s rejected organized religion outright, others viewed their own spiritual beliefs as a new hybrid religion of sorts, a pastiche of existing forms including aspects of Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Native American religions. One popular belief held that spiritual transcendence could be activated by recognizing one’s place within the natural world and relinquishing attachments to the manmade products of industry and technical innovation. This idea inspired many counterculturalists to seek inspiration in the form of the stereotypically enlightened Native American, who was portrayed as being acutely in tune with the spiritual by way of his transcendent connection to the natural world. This figure also became a convenient mascot for counterculturalists who advocated for the use of hallucinogenic drugs for both spiritual and recreational purposes, lending an imagined sense of ancient cultural legitimacy to the practice and setting a seemingly-irrefutable precedent for the use of hallucinogens as conduits to spiritual realms. For example, “dope churches,” led by such countercultural icons as Timothy Leary and Art Kleps, were modeled after the Native American Church, though they bore significant, irreconcilable differences from their spiritual muse. In my presentation, I will examine the countercultural fascination with Native American spirituality, interrogating the ways in which self-proclaimed hippies often propagated harmful stereotypes and appropriated ancient ritual practices for purposes unrelated and even directly counter to their original uses.
About the presenterMiriam Hahn Thomas
Miriam Hahn Thomas earned her Ph.D. in Theatre from Bowling Green State University in 2014, where her doctoral work focused on representations of Native Americans in the theatre of the 1960s American Counterculture. She has since taught courses in theatre at Kennesaw State University, Bowling Green State University, and Ball State University. She currently serves as Arts Administrator, Production Manager, and Adjunct Professor of Theatre at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.