Raffia palms grow in tropical regions of Africa and the leaves can be dried and torn into very long strips to create a natural ribbon. Raffia is a crafting staple, easily found in craft stores and floral departments. I ordered mine online and it came bundled and vacuum packed which gave it very crisp creases where I didn’t want creases. I used a steamer to straighten the strips, which worked extremely well.

I could absolutely twine the raffia without steaming it, but the bends make an awful tangle, so it was useful to use the steam to make fiber management easier.

I use raffia to teach twining because it is readily available, you can twine for a long time before having to add in fiber, and it is sturdy. I made a simple two knot sliding bracelet and wore it for a week where it got wet and dried several times and it held up to the wearing. Raffia is used to make hats and bags and mats and can even be woven to make clothes. Here is a fascinating article.