Sometimes yucca fiber was used alone for weaving and sometimes it was used in conjunction with other materials such as dogbane (Apocynum, also called Indian hemp), human and animal hair, feathers and fur pieces and eventually cotton. There was also great variety in the preparation of the material, from whole yucca leaves to fine cordage. Whole or partial leaves of yucca were used for mats, some sandals, and other items, while retted fibers were used in the finer products.

Probably the oldest of all forms of weaving are braiding, netting, and looping. These finger weaving methods involve single or multiple threads. In addition to braided belts, a variety of articles were made in the prehistoric Southwest by this process, including braided shoe-socks, apron bands, slings and small bags.

Nets of various sizes made from yucca-fiber cordage knotted together were used for large and small bags, traps to set over rodent holes, and to facilitate carrying clay jars or other containers. Large nets were used for catching birds and rabbits.

Frames were necessary for some of the finer weaving. The most simple was a loop of string from which warp (lengthwise) threads were hung. Next in simplicity was a weaving frame made from two sticks with warps strung between them, or a frame with warps secured at the top and bottom. These small frames were suitable for making small pieces like sandals, belts, bands and bags. For larger items, like mats, robes and the fur and feather blankets, two upright posts supported a cross-bar with warps thrown over the bar, and hanging free at the bottom.

Tump straps, a band that fits around the forehead with strong cords attached to suspend burdens and distribute the weight for easier carrying, were common in the prehistoric Southwest. They were often made from finely woven yucca fibers with a finished loop at each end through which heavy cords were threaded for fastening burdens. Cruder straps were also made by sewing two or three yucca leaves together, fraying their ends, then twining or wrapping them in such a way as to make loops.

Aprons were made from yucca cordage during Basketmaker times and have a long history in the Southwest. The most simple construction was yucca cords bent over a yucca waist cord, and fastened with plain twining. A mass of yucca cordage hanging from the woven belt formed the body of the apron. More elaborate aprons were produced from a combination of yucca and human or animal hair cordage, often decorated with very intricate designs. The basic form was a narrow belt which reached part way, or sometimes all the way around the waist with cordage filling if it was short, and with hanging fringes, generally in the front only. Sometimes aprons were made of bundles of cordage, secured at one point and a string run through to hold it in place. Breechclouts (a string belt worn about the buttocks) also had a wide distribution in the early Southwest.

Blankets, ponchos and shirts appeared in later periods and were often made on a loom with cotton thread mixed with some yucca fiber for added strength.

Shoe-socks or leggings and arrow quivers were also made, usually from scraps of larger pieces of fabric, but in later Pueblo periods, from cotton and wool. However, some have been found that included yucca string wound with feathers or twisted in with animal hair, affirming the fact that yucca fiber was regularly used in later prehistoric periods. Occasionally, feather cord was used in combination with yucca only at points in the sock where there is more pressure from the foot, thus making a softer pad.

Needle and thread

Not only does the yucca provide material for fabric clothing, it can also produce a needle and thread with which to stitch it together.

Once, on the trail, a student accidentally kicked my jacket close to the fire where a hole burned in the sleeve, and the down insulation escaped. I made a needle and thread from a yucca leaf by scraping off the pulp to the pointed end and thinning the fibers with my knife. I easily repaired the hole, and the emergency stitching lasted nicely for the remainder of the trip.

It’s easy to make a few of these emergency sewing kits ahead of time just to have on hand. Simply trim the yucca leaf up to the pointed end so it is only about a quarter inch wide, then plane off the pulp with a knife or sharp stone. Soak it in water for a couple of days, agitating the water occasionally to separate the pulp from the fiber, dry it, and you have a needle with long, silky threads already attached.

Sandals

Animal skin sandals were made first by prehistoric people, possibly with yucca ties, but this eventually evolved into all-fiber elements of whole or corded yucca leaves. On the trail we often make the fast and efficient yucca “caterpillar” sandal. The caterpillar sandal got its name from the unusual tracks it leaves as the students trek across the sandy desert floor. This style can be made in a matter of twenty or thirty minutes using the whole yucca leaf.

The earliest Basketmaker sandals were square-toed and square-heeled, made in either a plaited or wicker technique, in the basketry tradition. Plaited (over-one-under-one) sandals were often made from the whole yucca leaf, producing a large checkerwork, or with narrower leaves using a twill plaiting (over-two-under-two) resulting in zigzags or chevron designs. One interesting theory is that perhaps the larger-sized plaited or twilled sandal of wide yucca leaves was used in the winter as an overshoe to be worn over the finer, corded, fiber sandals.

Several different methods of securing sandals to the foot were used in ancient times: loops were attached to the sides through which heavy cords passed to tie the sandal to the foot; toe loops were attached to some sandals with cords that went around the ankle; and an abundance of cords were threaded from several toe loops to cords encircling the heel.

Yucca “Caterpillar” Sandals

A fast, efficient sandal can be made from the leaves of yucca as well as other plants with long, fibrous leaves such as sedge, tule, and cattail. Sandals can even be made from the needles of various species of longleaf pine. But yucca is excellent material for this use because it is so durable and easily available in many parts of the country.

▲ Cut a bundle of leaves to about ten to twelve inches long and trim off the spines. Try the small Yucca glauca for these narrow pieces. Dry these leaves for several days, then dampen them before you begin making your sandals so they won’t shrink afterward. Then, dampen them again when you are ready to begin making your sandals. You can use fresh yucca leaves, but the end result will shrink considerably after a day or two.

▲ Next, cut four long leaves to use for the warp strings. Once the spines are removed from these leaves, they should be about 14 inches long (the longer leaves of Yucca baccata are best for this use). These strings will ultimately be the deciding length factor, so if you have a large foot, you may want to cut the warp strings longer. If you have a really big foot, you may have to twine some three-ply cordage to use for the warp strings. Leave the strings long enough to tie on each end.

▲ Trim the four pieces down to a uniform width of about a quarter inch by shaving off the outer edges of the leaf, leaving the thick inner portion.

▲ Soften the warp strings by bending them over a branch, rock or running your fingers back and forth until they are flexible.

▲ Tie the ends of the warp strings together and place one end over a stake in the ground. Keep the warp string tight as you work.

▲ Fold one of the small leaves in half in one hand while holding the warp string tight with the other (this is when it pays to be ambidextrous).

▲ Weave the small leaves by looping one at a time over the warp string and criss-crossing the weft so opposite ends extend over the other warp string.