*squeeee* I’m so glad you asked!
The metal itself is pretty hard (about the same hardness as Earth brass but with a higher melting point) this makes working the metal a little tougher but far from impossible. It’s toughness is usually a problem for metalsmiths and jewelers that have to work the Yaka wire/beads/casts ect. by hand.
The yellow Yaka, despite it’s hardness, can be worked into a softer material that makes it more flexible, and so Centaurians can craft bows from it just as they can craft sturdy arrows. Because of the metals flexibility, and it’s vast abundance almost everything is crafted from Yaka.
Yaka is VERY important in Centaurian culture. The culture itself was loosely based off of Native American / African / Aztec culture so there is no canon evidence that Centaurians have currency. So, they deal in trade. Even though Yaka is extremely valuable they are willing to trade it for other items of need; Food, pelts, clothing, bows/arrows, and jewelry.
If one wants what another has then they ether trade in favors or other materials. However, it goes without saying that anything crafted out of Yaka by a high ranking Priest is more valued than something that was made from a lower ranking hunter. A hunter is only as good as the quality of the materials he/she has a poorly made yaka bow will make for larger mistakes when hunting. A poor oversight that is frowned on.
Exceptional, extraordinary or sentimental crafts out of Yaka are inhabited by generations, apprenticeship, adulthood, or mating rites. A young Centaurian female will have different rites than her male counterpart. Each tribe and family rite are different but for the most part she must prove herself a leader/hunter before she is given her first red Yaka bow and arrows. Although both males and females have equal rights Centaurian society is largely matriarch. With a female leading a clan and tribe.
If a male wishes to have a chosen female as his mate then he must present her with one of his own earrings made out of the metal. It’s one of the reasons why Centaurians are encouraged to learn how to mine / metalsmith for themselves at a very young age.
(now for some headcanons) Red Yaka is much harder to find, mold, and mine. However it’s even more sought after than yellow. The Red Yaka can be manipulated with a Centaurians empathic abilities and high sound frequencies. So they use the red metal to act as a radar in their bows and arrows. Making the arrows move different directions and for much better accuracy. The greater the empathic ability the better he/she can control the arrow in flight.
Because of this half Centaurians (though EXTREMELY rare) have a harder time controlling the arrows. BUT, it all depends on the individuals skill in archery and how greatly they can control their empathic abilities and whistle tone.
The metal has also proved to disrupt radio waves, scanners, and other tracking tech. Making it impossible to locate tribes/individuals from space. Yellow Yaka, however, doesn't have this quality.
