"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
Yes, it has old uses in all cultures, even those of the evil Europeans and
the nasty icky poo evil white man. The Indians used Datura for many
purposes
and had its associated mortality. Your intimation that it was used
without
mortality and morbidity is a bit of wishful thinking. People died during
those ceremonies, particularly the Algonquin huskanaw ritual. And of
course, the noble Native American practice of using Datura to render women
malleable before burying them alive upon the death of their husbands makes
the more dramatic toxic effects rather moot.

Much as I'm probably going to regret this, your post has me asking the
following questions:

1) You note that people died during the Algonquin huskanaw ritual. Would
you please elaborate on your sources and any citations you have for it?

2) You note the "Native American" practice, this is a meaningless phrase,
as far as I can tell, when it comes to the rest of your post. It certainly
was not a practice in many, if not most, tribes here in Northern America,
which tribe or tribes are you referring to?

I'm currently pursuing a degree in history, formerly I was a plasma etch
research and development engineer in semiconductor manufacturing, and I am
always interested in increasing my knowledge.

Philip