The Yucca was one of the most important plants for the Southwest Native Americans. The Yucca is actually a member of the Agave family. The Native Americans of the Southwest used the Yucca for many of their needs, such as food, fiber and soap. Of course once they had the fiber, it could be used to make belts, sandals, sandal toe straps, ropes, rope ladders, craddle board ties, mats, clothing, fish nets hair brushes, mattresses, clothing, and of course baskets. The fiber was made from the leaves, which were soaked in water and then pounded with stones to seperate the longer fibers. The extracted fibers were sometimes twisted into string or rope using the addition of hair and even bird feathers.

The roots of the Yucca were were pounded and then whisked into cold water to make suds and the soaplike lather was used as a cleaning agent. The suds were used to as a soap and to wash their hair for cleanliness and also ceremonial spiritual cleansing. In fact there was a commercial hair shampoo ( Yucca-Dew) in recent times. Shasta Root beer used the roots to create a white foamy head on its soft drink.

The fruit from the Yucca provided a source of food for the Native Americans. Even the young flower stalks would be eaten.

Even the leaves were chewed to make paint brushes which were used to then decorate the pottery.

The stalks are very light, yet very strong and were used for building ladders, walking sticks, and even bed frames. The outer surface can easily be woodburned with silouette images and letters, but doesn't allow for a lot of detail or shading. The cross section of the stalk has almost a balsa wood characteristic and burns very easy with a fair amount of detail. Low temperatures are a must. It is very easily cut and sliced with a small hand saw. Sanding the cross section, in a circular motion, makes a very smooth surface.

If anyone wants yucca sticks or yucca slices, please contact me:

newsletter@southwestwoodcrafts.com