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There are plenty of other details to corroborate the
theory that it is
original quechua being spoken, or at least that the
autochthons are of
quechua descent. The dress of the autochthons,
their reed boats, the custom
of drinking a tea called "mate" (a peruvian/bolivian
term) through a metal
straw (a custom practiced only, to my knowledge, in
L. Am.), etc.
Yes, you are right. The mate herb, used fot the
so-called mate tea and the strongest, bitter
"chimarrão", is a plant from South America. The use of
the "bomba" ("pump"), or metal straw is caracteristic
from Southern Brazil, Northern Argentina and (I think)
some Andean countries, too. The bomba is used when
people consume chimarrão in a more traditional
fashion.