“For the Mbya Guaraní, mate tea is not just a raw material for preparing mate or tereré. It is medicine, spirituality, and connection. Our advisor and spiritual guide, the Opyguá, uses it in the ceremony where names are given to the children of the community. Caá also provides health and keeps the family together. Around the campfire, mate becomes words: Parents give advice, children listen, and everyone shares with each other. And when you drink your own yerba, which has been nurtured and spoken to, the experience is even more intense,” explained Cristian Cabrera, chief and “Mburuvichá” of the Perutí community in northeastern Argentina, in an interview with the portal Bichos de Campo.