Golden grass is a plant of central Brazil where it grows on sites that are flooded in the rainy season. In the Brazilian state of Tocantins it naturally occurs in big areas. At the top of its long stems it grows white flowers. After drying the stems remain with a golden yellow colour. ‘Goldgras‘ was already used by indigenous people to produce utensils who passed their techniques on to todays inhabitants of the Jalapão region. Traditionally the grass is sewed with fibres from the Buriti palm tree but today also golden-coloured threads are being used. In Tocantins already for 70 years also arts and crafts are being produced from ‘Goldgras‘. Today many families in the Jalapão region generate income with the manual processing of this plant and their products are being sold in all of Brazil and abroad. To protect the species the state of Tocantins put environmental regulations in place: Harvest can only start on September 20th and must end when the rainy season starts at the end of November. The seeds have to remain on the field. Only local craftsmen that are registered by the state environmental agency are admitted for harvest and admittance is valid for one year only. Sale of unprocessed material outside of Tocantins is prohibited.

Golden grass jewelry