The Guaraní legend of yerba mate
Yasí the moon, Araí the cloud, and the gift they left for an old Guaraní man.
Long before packages and brands, the Guaraní people were already drinking ka'a, the leaf of the yerba plant. And they have a legend to explain where it came from.
The moon's visit
The story goes that Yasí, the moon, longed to see the forest. One night she came down to earth with her friend Araí, the cloud, both of them in the form of two young women.
The jaguar
As they walked, a jaguar (yaguareté) leapt at them. An old Guaraní man who was nearby saw them and, with an arrow, saved them both.
The gift
That night, in a dream, Yasí appeared to the old man and promised him a gift for his bravery: a new plant whose leaves, toasted and steeped, would bring company and strength to whoever drank them. When he woke up, the yerba tree had grown next to his home.
What remains
The legend changes depending on who tells it, but every version agrees on one thing: yerba was born as a gift meant to be shared. That's why, they say, mate is drunk in a round.