Same thing in the Philippines. I lived there for a bit, and the locals made all sorts of stuff out of bamboo and random leaves, both for themselves and for tourists. My favorites were:

- banana leaves as table cloths and food wraps - bamboo for temporary structures, tools, and toys - palm fronds (or something similar) as rope/packaging

It's also really fast to regrow, so it's super renewable.

Here in the US, it's mostly used as a wood alternative (desks, flooring, etc), but it's so much more versatile than that.