English

Scientific Name

Yucca glauca; possibly other Yucca spp

Arapaho

Translation of the Arapaho

‘stretched medicine/grass?’

Yucca and the Arapaho

Other: implement. Hilger reports that yucca leaves were used for tattooing.

Other: fuel. Kroeber says the plant was used for starting fires, as a fire drill. In the “Life of Medicine Grass,” it is reported that once the yucca stalks were peeled, the inner fiber was softened and then bound up tightly. This was then rubbed hard on rawhide or stones. This produced sparks, which were then used to ignite dry, rotten wood.

Other: soap.The root was used to make a soap especially preferred by women for washing their hair, to make it thick and lustrous.