Joel Sisolak: Finding Home Along The Peyote Road

Sarah Waller
01/28/2012

Joel Sisolak couldn't wait to escape the strict religious doctrine of his parents. When he turned 21, he cobbled together his savings and bought a plane ticket to Montana. He spent the summer living on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. There, he was invited to participate in a sacred ceremony involving peyote — a spineless cactus with psychoactive properties. Joel expected the ritual of eating hallucinogenic cactus to transport him far away from his Sundays in church. But, the peyote road took him somewhere he least expected it. He shares the story with KUOW's Sarah Waller.