THE
MACHETE AND ITS USES:
The 'machete' is normally used to cut through thick vegetation
such as sugar cane or jungle undergrowth but it can also be used as
an offensive weapon. There are many specialized designs for different
regions, tasks, and budgets. In Central America it is not uncommon to
see a machete being used for such household tasks as cutting large foodstuffs
into pieces — much as a cleaver is used — or to perform crude cutting
tasks such as making simple wooden handles for other tools. The modern
machete is very similar to some forms of the medieval falchion (a type
of sword distinguished by the blade being wider towards the tip than
the hilt), differing mainly in the lack of a guard and a simpler hilt,
though some machetes do have a guard for greater protection of hands
during work.
The Swahili tapanga is a variant used in East Africa, with
a broader blade and mostly with either a spear-point or a trailing-point
tip. In Hong Kong, the machete is a widely used weapon by the Triads.
It is sometimes referred to as a "watermelon knife".
In the Philippines, the bolo is a very similar tool, but
with the blade swelling just before the tip to make the knife even more
tip-heavy for chopping. A longer and a more pointed tip bolo or itak
(intended for combat) was also used during the Philippine Revolution
against the Spanish, and later a signature weapon of guerillas in the
Philippine-American War. Filipinos still use machetes for everyday cutting
and chopping of dense vegetation and meats. Machetes are also commonly
found in most Filipino kitchens, having sets on the walls for show and
other sets for everyday usage.
Other similar tools include the parang and the golok (from
Malaysia and Indonesia); however, these tend to have shorter, thicker
blades with a primary grind, and are more effective on woody vegetation.
The Nepalese kukri is a curved blade which is often used for similar
tasks. Some types of Chinese saber (dao) are similar.
In the Southern Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul), the
machete is largely used by the native inhabitants. It's used to open
ways through the jungle, and was used to fight against the Brazilian
Empire in the farrapos' war (War of Tatters). There, the machete is
called "facão" or "facón" (literally
"big knife"). Today, there is a dance called dança
dos facões (machetes' dance), that is danced in this region.
In this dance, performed only by men, the dancers knock their machetes
while dancing, simulating a battle.
In many (tropical) countries, a machete is as common and
ubiquitous a tool as a breadknife is in other cultures. Consequently,
it is often the weapon of choice for uprisings (the poor man's sword).
A machete should also be classified as a basic sword, because it can
be used like one. Machetes were the primary weapon used by the Interahamwe
militias in the Rwandan Genocide, as well as the distinctive tool/weapon
of the Haitian Tonton Macoute. The machete was also one of the most
common weapons during the Cuban Independence War. Slaves freed by Carlos
Manuel de Céspedes agreed to fight against Spain, where their
only weapons were the tool they used to cut the sugar cane in the La
De Majagua plantation. In 2002, a rebellion of peasants, many under
the name of the Community Front in Defense of Land, in the Mexican municipality
of San Salvador Atenco led the authorities to cancel a project to construct
a new airport near Mexico City. In 2006, the same CFDL again took arms
against the Mexican police.
THE MACHETE AS A WEAPON:
The
Bolo Knife saw plenty of use in the jungles of the Philippines during
World War II against the Japanese Imperial Army. As a result, it is
a common weapon in the Filipino Martial Arts known as Kali, Arnis, or
Escrima, as well as the survival knife of the military.
Some tropical countries have a name for the blow of a machete;
the Spanish machetazo is sometimes used in English. In Trinidad and
Tobago, to hit someone with the flat of the blade is termed planass.
Although the machete is known in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in
the West Indies by the term 'cutlass', it is nevertheless a distinctly
agricultural tool first, and a weapon of convenience second, and therefore
not a true cutlass.
The Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva
- CIGS (Instruction Center on Jungle Warfare) of Brazilian Army developed
a 10-inch blade machete with a very pronounced clip point. In the same
scabbard there's a 5-inch blade Bowie knife and a sharpening stone.
This called "jungle kit" is made by Indústria de Material
Bélico do Brasil - IMBEL(Brazilian Bellic Material Industries).
The machete is also a performance weapon used in variations
the martial dance called maculele, often practiced by exponents of capoeira.
People bearing machetes affirm it is the best weapon to
kill the mythical cadejo, it being light weight and flexible.
Horror movie icon Jason Voorhees uses a machete as his primary
weapon.
Most battles for independence in the Dominican Republic
were fought by Dominican patriots using the machete as a weapon of choice;
this led to the well known battle cry "Machete, carajo!"(Machete,
damn it!) which has been credited to General Gregorio Luperón
during the Restoration War. This battle cry is still used to date by
many military units of the modern day Dominican Republic Armed Forces
such as "Los Cazadores" or The Hunters of the Constanza Valley
and the use of a machete as a symbol and a field tool within their ranks.
In the Dominican Republic it's common to see people using one for their
odd jobs such as splitting open coconuts, or working the lawns and other
related activities.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE MACHETE:
Toughness is important because of the twisting and impact
forces that the relatively thin blade may encounter, while edge retention
is secondary. Medium to high carbon spring steels such as 1050 to 1095
are well suited to this application (with better machetes using the
latter), and are relatively easy to sharpen.
After
hardening, many blades are tempered to maximum toughness, often nearly
spring tempered. This also makes the blade relatively easier to sharpen.
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