Black Drink

by Hudson, Charles M.

• ISBN13: 9780820326962
• ISBN10: 0820326968
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-04
• Publisher: Univ of Georgia Pr

Summary

Until its use declined in the nineteenth century, Indians of the southeastern United States were devoted to a caffeinated beverage commonly known as black drink. Brewed from the parched leaves of the yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), black drink was used socially and ceremonially. In certain ritual purification rites, Indians would regurgitate after drinking the tea. This study details botanical, clinical, spiritual, historical, and material aspects of black drink, including its importance not only to Native Americans, but also to many of their European-American contemporaries.

Author Biography

Charles M. Hudson, a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Georgia, is one of the foremost authorities on the history and culture of the Indians of the U.S. Southeast. His many books include Black Drink, The Forgotten Centuries, and Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun (all Georgia).

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations	vi
Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(9)
Charles M. Hudson
The Botany of Yaupon	10	(30)
Shiu Ying Hu
The Beloved Tree: Ilex vomitoria among the Indians of the Southeast and Adjacent Regions	40	(43)
William L. Merrill
Origins and Prehistoric Distributions of Black Drink and the Ceremonial Shell Drinking Cup	83	(37)
Jerald T. Milanich
The Function of Black Drink among the Creeks	120	(30)
Charles H. Fairbanks
Black Drink and Other Caffeine-containing Beverages among Non-Indians	150	(16)
William C. Sturtevant
Selected Bibliography	166	(5)
The Contributors	171	(2)
Index	173