Our
most popular beverage, the ‘mate’, has of course numerous legends that
explain its origin. This one belongs to the 'guaraníes’, the indigenous group
of the Mesopotamian region. The legend says that this stimulating shrub was
given to man by Yasí, the Moon.
Although
Yasí, the Moon, could see from above all the extent of the land during her long
night strolls, she only knew the silver rivers, the foamy waterfalls and the
thick green forest mattress that hid precious treasures of life under its
impenetrable surface.
Yasí
was very curious, and she was really interested in seeing the wonders she had
been told of by the sun, the rain and the morning dew. They, unlike Yasí, had
reached the forest depth and had seen the spiders kitting their webs among the
trees, the ‘coatíes’ hunting in the warm evenings, the colourful birds
nestling their eggs, and all the wonderful things that Nature so generously
reveals.
One
day Yasí and Araí, the Cloud, asked permission to Kuarajhí, the Sun to come
down together to the earth and see the precious gifts from Nature. He allowed
them, but warned them that they would suffer from the same weaknesses as men,
and that they would be exposed to the same dangers, despite the fact that they
would not be seen.
The
next morning the two girls were walking in the forest among the giant
‘lapachos’, ‘quebrachos’ and ‘urundays’, making their way through
the rich vegetation and knitting flower necklaces witch the delicate orchids and
passionflowers or ‘mburucuyás’. They played witch the funny monkeys or
‘ca-carayá’, talked to the colourful ‘guacamayos’ or ‘araracá’,
laughed at the bandy legged anteaters or ‘aba-caé’ and wondered at the
beautiful coloured feathers of the ‘mbytú’, and the ‘mbaé-í-humbí’-
an amazonian humming-bird. They were so amazed that they could not see the quiet
‘yaguareté’ who, hungry after a long night, was hiding in the bushes. When
they saw it, it was too late. As the fierce animal was about to attack the girls
a swift arrow pierced its side and tumbled it.
The
feline turned to its aggressor, a young guaraní hunter who was just passing by.
Before he could end with the animal’s life, the young man saw the shape of the
two girls running away in terror. Then, tired after the fierce fight, he fell
asleep under a ‘ceibo’ tree and beautiful women with white skin and long
fair hair came up to him and called his name. They told him that they wanted to
thank him for having saved their lives and in return they would give him a
present from Kuarajhí. “It is a plant which you will call ‘kaá’. With it
you will be able to make a beverage that brings lonely together and dispels
loneliness. This is Kuarajhí’s presents for you, for you children and for you
children’s children”.
That
evening, when the brave hunter returned to his ‘tava’- the village or group
of houses where he lived-, he found a new shrub with bright oval leaves that
grew everywhere.
Following Yasí’s directions, he chopped the leaves carefully, put them in a small dry gourd, filled it with fresh water from the river, placed a thin cane inside it and tried the drink. He liked its soft bitter taste, and he offered it to his family. Then he called his neighbours in the ‘tavá’ and he treated them to the new beverage. Soon the ‘mate’ was passed round from hand to hand. From that day on the habit of drinking ‘mate’ started. Adapted from: Rosaspini Reynols. Argentinian stories and legends.
Editions Continente. 1990
The Teacher's Magazine. Editorial Bahiense.