Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate is a drink from South America. I did a little bit of research into the drink, because it's a tea like drink and there is much debate as to whether or not it is against the word of wisdom. I don't think it is. But in my research I came acrossed this legend as to the origen of mate that I found to be kind of interesting.



There is an old Guarani Indian legend that relates the origins of the Guarani in the Forests of Paraguay. According to the legend, the ancestors of the Guarani at one time in the distant past crossed a great and spacious ocean from a far land to settle in the Americas. They found the land both wonderful yet full of dangers; through diligence and effort they subdued the land and inaugurated a new civilization. There were two brothers that vied for leadership of the people: Tupi and Guarani. Eventually they feuded and divided the people into two separate nations. Each nation, or tribe, adopted the name of the brother who was its leader. Guarani was the younger, fair-skinned brother, while Tupi, the older brother, had a darker skin.

The darker Tupi tribes adopted a more fierce, nomadic lifestyle, rejecting the agricultural traditions of their fathers. They engaged in the practice of drinking large quantities of a caffeine-containing drink prepared from the guarana tree.

The Guarani tribes became a stable, God-fearing people who worked the land and became excellent craftsmen. They looked forward to the coming of a tall, fair-skinned, blue eyed, bearded God (Pa'i Shume) who, according to legend, eventually did appear and was pleased with the Guarani. He imparted religious instruction and taught them concerning certain agricultural practices which would benefit them in times of drought and pestilence as well as on a day-to-day basis. Significantly, He unlocked the secrets of health and medicine and revealed the healing qualities of native plants.

One of the most important of these secrets was how to harvest and prepare the leaves of the yerba mati tree. The mati beverage was meant to ensure health, vitality and longevity. The choice of favorite drink by the Tupi and Guarani came to symbolize opposition between the respective groups. The yerba mati of Guarani, reflecting the agricultural and domestic nature of these Indians, provided many more beneficial properties than the Tupi's guarana, which symbolized their preoccupation with running wild and free and their reliance on brute strength and the need to physically excel. Mati became the most common ingredient in household cures of the Guarani, and remains so to this day.

http://www.miyerbamate.com/content/Yerba+Mate+hierba+mate+permier+south+american+beverage.htm