Yaupon served a couple of tribes on Hatteras Island, (Outer Banks) and area as well as the Anglo people. Yaupon was a mainstay commercial business for the people on Hatteras Island when no other money was coming in, and specifically for those that lived in what was called Lower Kinakeet (which is most probably a derivative of another Indian name...the locals pronounced it as I wrote the word). Yes, there was an Upper Kinakeet town area as well. The two areas did not have much love lost for each other. You may know the name of the town as Avon, NC....a town just north of Buxton where once a thriving Indian population existed....as well as a Naval Facility. As for the Anglo resident, most originals were made up of shipwreck people and many that were of the pirate persuasion. Black Beard favored the Island next to Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke.....that's where the wild horses are. Yaupon harvesters were considered very much lower class of people by the other residents. I think this was back in the 1920 or 1930 time frame. There was not a bridge to connect Hatteras to the mainland near Whalebone Junction up at the northern end, therefore all transportation, including commerce, had to be by boat. The Kinakeeters would gather Yaupon and transport it across the sound to the mainland.....I knew some of the people personally that sold Yaupon for tea back then. They were a tough lapboard boat building and Yaupon harvesting bunch that would fight at the first incident of someone calling them "a Yaupon." I was stationed there in the Navy back in the early to middle 1970's, and the tight groups still existed that were leery of all strangers. Due to some local citizen programs I initiated and because of working personally with some of the people, I was made an Honorary Citizen in writing and with a Cape Hatteras Pewter Medallion, which blew everyone's mind at the Naval Facility Cape Hatteras, Buxton, NC. The people still would bristle at the thought of someone calling them "a Yaupon" because of their ancestors. TT ----- Original Message ----- From: "songmaker2" <[email protected]> To: "dgp" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 7:13 PM Subject: Re: [CREEK-SOUTHEAST] Appearance of Poke Greens and Sparkle Berries > I am trying to find someone to identify plants here that were >> used by Creek. There are 2 plants that are very similiar one is Yaupon > and >> the other looks almost identical. Mvhayv > > Hello Mvhayv, > I don't know if I can identify with words, but yaupon has tiny leaves. > The > bark is light gray in color. The female plant has red berries throughout > the > year, expecially around Christmas time. > You probably already know that this plant is the sacred "black drink" > of the Creeks. I've taken it many times, both ceremonially and socially. > Yaupon was the only plant containing caffeine that the southern NDN's > had. It was thought to be poisonous by the first whites who observed the > partakers vomiting. It was scientifically called Illex Vomitoria. But > consider that it was drunk in huge amounts to purge the system. If we > drank > modern coffee or tea in the same amounts, we'd vomit also. > After vomiting out the stomach contents, followed by the huge caffeine > jolt that the yaupon delivered, the NDN's became "clear headed" and ready > to make important decisions which their meetings called for. > Interesting, whites also used this native tea when India tea wasn't > available. > An interesting book on the subject is "Black Drink, A Native American > Tea" edited by Charles M. Hudson. > Another plant that looks similar to me, is the cursed "English > Privet", > an > intrusive plant, introduced from Europe. > Paul Hornsby > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

>The people still > would bristle at the thought of someone calling them "a Yaupon" because of > their ancestors. > Tim, That's very interesting. I've always been fascinated by the yaupon plant. I didn't realize it had ever been quiet that embraced by anglos. Paul Hornsby