State

Volume XIII Number 44 Number 43 1946 THE STATE A Weekly Survey of North Carolina Entered а» second-class matter. June 1. 1933. at the Posloftlcc at Raleigh. North Carolina, under the Act of March 3. 1879. Distinctive Carolina Plants Yaupon and Kloodroot were popular with the Indians: the first for beverage purposes and the latter for means of personal adorn¬ ment. They still flourish in North Carolina. ONE of the most character¬ istic plants of the Carolina coastal region is the yaupon. an evergreen shrub of the holly family, whose leaves were used by the Indians to make a tea of strongly emetic and purgative properties. In Narratives of Caro¬ lina, published by Thomas Ashe in 1682, the explorer describes it as “the famous Cassiny, or Yaupon, whose admirable and incompara¬ ble qualities are highly applauded and extolled by French and Spanish explorers. It is the leaves of this tree, which, boyld in water (as we do tea) wonderfully en¬ liven and envigorate the Heart, with genuine easie sweat and Transpirations preserving the Mind free and serene, Keeping the body brisk, active, and lively, not for an hour or two, but for as many days, as those Authors report, without any other Nourishment or Subsis¬ tence. Which, if true, is really admirable. They also add that none amongst the Indians but their great men or Cap¬ tains, who have been famous for their great Exploits and Noble Ac¬ tions, are admitted to the use of this Noble Bever¬ idge." The Black Drink, as it was called, was an es¬ sential part of the purifi¬ cation ceremonies pre¬ ceding the feast of the New Fires, which took By KATIIEItlNE HOSKINS place annually in March, when the wigwams were cleansed, the ashes removed, and a new blaze lighted by the priests from the sacred fires. As the shrub grew only along the seaboard, the dried leaves were a valuable and much sought article of trade between the coastal and hill tribes, the latter of whom had plants of equal value and rarity to exchange. The dainty, white-flowered Bloodroot, or Puccoon, which grows only in the Piedmont and mountain sections of the state, was the source of the blood-red dye obtainable only from its bulbous root. John Lawson, whose book of travels published in 1711 was the first History of North Carolina, says: “With this (Bloodroot) and Bear's Grease, the Indians anoint their Heads and Temples, which is esteemed as ornamental. — Be¬ sides, this root has the virtue of killing Lice, and suffers none to abide and breed in their Heads. — " All Red Men painted, both for decorative purposes and for pro¬ tection against wind, sun. snow, and insects. Designs indicated tribal membership, marks of achievement, or sometimes merely participation in various ceremonial events. Bloodroot red signified life, and was used in symbolic protec¬ tion from the enemy. When pre¬ paring for the warpath, the braves rubbed themselves with bear grease, then traced the proper emblems upon their person with fingers dipped in the dried and powdered Bloodroot. Death to their enemies was indi¬ cated by outlining the red patterns in black, with charcoal. Adorned with Puccoon Paint and purified with the Black Drink, the most timid brave probably felt bet¬ ter prepared to face the enemy. Just as in our time, reciprocal trade treaties permitted warring tribes a cessation of hostilities in order to exchange necessary supplies о f ceremonial paint a n d drink, with officiating Medicine Men doubtless obtaining a substantial cut for their services in the process. THE STATE. March 30. 1946 3