Black drink facts for kids

Chief Saturiwa prepares his men for battle, from Plate XI of Jacques le Moyne des Morgues' engraving of Fort Caroline", Jacques le Moyne and Theodor De Bry.

Black drink is a name for several kinds of ritual beverages brewed by Native Americans in the Southeastern United States. Traditional ceremonial people of the Yuchi, Caddo, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee and some other Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands use the black drink in purification ceremonies. It was occasionally known as white drink because of the association of the color white with peace leaders in some Native cultures in the Southeast.

The preparation and protocols vary between tribes and ceremonial grounds; a prominent ingredient is the roasted leaves and stems of Ilex vomitoria (commonly known as yaupon holly), a plant native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Black drink also usually contains emetic herbs.

Images for kids

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  Preparing Black Drink, engraving by Joseph-François Lafitau, 1723

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  Yaupon holly

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  Map of the geographical extent of black drink use by Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, prior to 19th century Indian Removal

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  Ceramic beaker from Cahokia with woodhenge motif

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  Engraved conch shell cup from Spiro Mounds