Mate Container Item Number: 3482/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Small, cup-shaped wooden mate container. It has a spherical body, thin stem and two-tiered, circular base. Two deeply incised lines, painted black, run across centre of body. Surface of top tier is rounded, bottom tier has a flat surface. Top edges of bottom tier flare outward sharply, before tapering inward at bottom. Small hole drilled in underside of base, in centre.
Yerba mate is a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused drink, made by soaking dried leaves of the holly species Ilex paraguariensis in hot water. Traditionally served in a calabash gourd container with a silver straw (bombilla) which serves as both a straw and a sieve.
This container is said to be made from the wood of palo santo (Bursera graveolens)- a tree native to South America. In Spanish, palo santo means “holy wood.” For thousands of years, the wood, resin, and oil have been used for medicinal purposes.