Yucca: The Popeye of Plant Fibers

Or at least how I was taught. Despite not being a resource of the Powhatan tribe, learning how to process the leaves was one of the first things I learned as an interpreter at Henricus Historical Park in central Virginia. A container of water is fine but a source of fresher, running water should be more sanitary. Take this with a grain of salt, as I haven’t tried it and we’re relying on decomposition in our favor.

          To start, we want fresh leaves and a wooden baton and wooden anvil, stone would damage the fibers. Begin by lightly pounding the leaves on the anvil, this softens the flesh of the leave and separates the fibers. A flake or sharp edge, we’re not looking to cut through paper on a single stroke, just enough to scrape off the soft meat and not cut or damage the fibers as we do so. From here we can begin twirling it on our thighs for making rope, or we can place the leaves into a container of fresh water, and leave them for a few days. This process can get a little gross, as the water gets stagnant and the leaves rotten, but we’re counting on decomposition to soften the leaves enough so the rest of the meat can easily be cleaned off from the fibers, which shouldn’t be harmed by the water. Once you’ve cleaned them off (if you want to make it full circle use soap from the root!), I find it’s fun to get people to try and break the cordage, as you will find most people underestimate the strength of plants.

 I was never really fascinated with weaving until I saw a mentor of mine with his pair of yucca sandals, the utility of which made me like them even more, and I would go so far as to say they function closer to a shoes sole than a leather moccasin. Provided we can find a legal and cost effective source, we’d love to find a place for this special plant in one of our classes if not offer a course by itself on the subject!