Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I gather Hesperoyucca whipplei leaves and soak the pounded leaves in a solution of water and urine for a few weeks. This breaks down the plant pulp to make the task of cleaning the fibers a lot easier. I also disassembled my broken palm sandals to salvage the cordage. Then I spent a day rolling the yucca fibers into pieces of cordage of varying lengths and thickness. The next day I gathered ripe fruits of the American black nightshade plant. I used a hollowed out buffalo gourd to carry the berries. Then I climbed a huge western sycamore tree to gain access to a cluster of mistletoe leaves. I returned to my hut and prepared three containers with different dye solutions - one with fermented Mexican blue palm fruit, one with crushed mistletoe, and one with crushed black nightshade fruit. I then placed two bundles of cordage in each container. Two days later I reviewed the results. The mistletoe and palm fruit produced identical results of just a slight tan color. The black nightshade produced a vivid purple color. I took these to the stream to wash them of debris and they still retained their new color. Time will tell how well the colors bond. I will be continue to experiment with dyes in the future and also the use of natural mordants.
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Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
I gather Hesperoyucca whipplei leaves and soak the pounded leaves in a solution of water and urine for a few weeks. This breaks down the plant pulp to make the task of cleaning the fibers a lot easier. I also disassembled my broken palm sandals to salvage the cordage. Then I spent a day rolling the yucca fibers into pieces of cordage of varying lengths and thickness. The next day I gathered ripe fruits of the American black nightshade plant. I used a hollowed out buffalo gourd to carry the berries. Then I climbed a huge western sycamore tree to gain access to a cluster of mistletoe leaves. I returned to my hut and prepared three containers with different dye solutions - one with fermented Mexican blue palm fruit, one with crushed mistletoe, and one with crushed black nightshade fruit. I then placed two bundles of cordage in each container. Two days later I reviewed the results. The mistletoe and palm fruit produced identical results of just a slight tan color. The black nightshade produced a vivid purple color. I took these to the stream to wash them of debris and they still retained their new color. Time will tell how well the colors bond. I will be continue to experiment with dyes in the future and also the use of natural mordants.
Join the Tribe!
Signup for the Primal Tendencies newsletter:
eepurl.com/jfZxG-
My social media links:
Instagram @chadzuberofficial
Facebook @ChadZAdventure
Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
