machete

Modern factory-made machete of US Forces issue.

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The machete (pronounced /məˈʃɛti/) is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically 50 to 60 centimetres (20 to 24 in) long and usually under 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet,^[1] though the name 'machete' is more commonly known.

Uses

As a tool

In tropical and subtropical countries, the machete is frequently used to cut through rainforest undergrowth and for agricultural purposes (e.g. cutting sugarcane). Besides this, in Latin 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. It is also common to see people using machetes for their odd jobs such as splitting open coconuts, working the lawns, or other related activities.

As a weapon

In many tropical countries a machete is a common and ubiquitous tool. Consequently, it is often the weapon of choice for uprisings. The Macheteros, for instance, is a clandestine popular army organization. Boricua Popular Army is the official name of Los Macheteros, which gets its name from the machete wielders of sugar cane fields of yesteryear's Puerto Rico.

A machete may 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,^[2] as well as the distinctive tool/weapon of the Haitian Tonton Macoute.^[3]

In 1762, the Kingdom of Great Britain invaded Cuba in the Battle of Havana, and peasant guerrillas led by Pepe Antonio, a Guanabacoa councilman, used machetes in the defense of the city.^[4] The machete was also the most iconic weapon during the independence wars in that country (1868–1898), although it saw limited battlefield use.^[5] Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, owner of the sugar refinery La Demajagua near Manzanillo, freed his slaves on 10 October 1868. Armed with machetes, he proceeded to lead them in revolt against the Spanish government.^[6] The first cavalry charge using machetes as the primary weapon was carried out on 4 November 1868 by Máximo Gómez, a sergeant born in the Dominican Republic, who later became the General in Chief of the Cuban army.^[7] Possibly due to this historical background, machetes inspired a form of martial discipline in Cuba known as "machete fencing", focused as its name puts it, in the best movements and techniques to use machetes as weapons, especially against similarly armed enemies or even firearms.

The machete was (and still is) a common side arm and tool for many ethnic groups in West Africa. Machetes in this role are referenced in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.^[8]

Some tropical countries have a name for the blow of a machete; the Spanish machetazo is sometimes used in English.

In the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, the word planass means to hit someone with the flat of the blade of a machete or cutlass.^[9] Throughout the Caribbean, the term 'cutlass' refers to a laborers' cutting tool with a 12-to-18-inch (30 to 46 cm) upturned blade.^[10]

The Brazilian Army's Instruction Center on Jungle Warfare developed a machete with a blade 10 inches (25 cm) in length and a very pronounced clip point. This machete is issued with a 5-inch Bowie knife and a sharpening stone in the scabbard; collectively called a "jungle kit" (Conjunto de Selva in Portuguese), it is manufactured by Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil (IMBEL).^[11]

Cultural variations

The tapanga is a variant used in East and southern Africa. This name may be of Swahili etymology; do not confuse this tool with the Panga fish. The panga blade broadens on the backside and has a length of 16 to 18 inches (41 to 46 cm). The upper inclined portion of the blade may be sharpened.^[12] This tool was used as a weapon in South Africa particularly in the 1980s and early 1990s when the former province of Natal was wracked by conflict between the African National Congress and the Zulu-nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party.

bolo or itak

Mexican Machete, from Acapulco, 1970. Horn handle, hand forged blade taper (hammer marks visible.). (Has been sharpened by owner. Rust marks visible.)

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 guerrillas 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^[13] and the golok^[14] (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 bushes, 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. Maculelê, an Afro-Brazilian dance/martial art, can also be performed with facãos. This practice began in the city of Santo Amaro, Bahia, in the northwestern part of the country.^[15]

Similar historic tools/weapons

The modern machete is very similar to some forms of the medieval falchion, a short sword popular from the 13th century onwards. The cutting edge the falchion was curved, widening toward the point, and had a straight, unsharpened back edge.^[16] The falchion differs from machetes 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 kopis was an ancient Greek tool/weapon comparable to the machete. The makhaira was also similar, but was intended primarily to be a weapon rather than a tool.

The seax was a Germanic tool/weapon that was also similar in function, although different in shape.

The fascine knife is a somewhat similar tool/weapon used by European armies throughout the late 18th to early 20th centuries. In fact, the Spanish Army called its fascine knives machetes.^[17] Whereas infantry were usually issued short sabres as side arms, engineers and artillerymen often received fascine knives,^[18][19] as besides being side arms they also served as useful tools for the construction of fortifications and other utilitarian tasks. They differ from machetes in that they generally have far thicker, tapered blades optimized for chopping European vegetation (the thin, flat blade of the machete is better for soft plants found in tropical environments), sword-like hilts and guards, and sometimes a sawback-blade.^[18] Some later models could be fixed to rifles as bayonets as well.^[19]

Manufacturing

Cane knife

In manufacturing, both the materials used and the shape of the machete itself are important to make a good machete. In the past, the best and most famous manufacturer of machetes in Latin America and the Caribbean was Collins Company of Collinsville, Connecticut.^[20] The company was founded as Collins & Company in 1826 by Samuel W. Collins to make axes.^[21] Its first machetes were sold in 1845^[22] and became so famous that all good machetes were called "un Collins."^[23]

Since the 1950s however, manufacturing shortcuts have resulted in a quality decline of machetes. Today, most modern factory-made machetes are of very simple construction, consisting of a blade and full-length tang punched from a single piece of flat steel plate of uniform thickness (and thus lack a primary grind), and a simple grip of two plates of wood or plastic bolted or riveted together around the tang. Finally, one side is ground down to an edge — although some are made so that the purchaser is expected to finish the sharpening. These machetes are occasionally provided with a simple cord loop as a sort of lanyard, and a canvas scabbard — although in some regions where machetes are valuable, commonly used tools, the users may make decorative leather scabbards for them.

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. Most stainless steel machetes should be avoided, as a lot of high carbon stainless cannot stand up to repeated impacts, and will easily break if abused.

After hardening, many blades are tempered to maximum toughness, often nearly spring tempered. This also makes the blade relatively easier to sharpen.^{[citation needed]}

A properly constructed machete will have a convex or flat primary bevel from the spine to the edge, which is formed by a secondary bevel. Better machetes will also have a slight distal taper.

In popular culture

• The machete is also a performance weapon used in variations of the Brazilian martial dance called maculele, often practiced by proponents of capoeira.
• In some Central American regions, the machete is believed to be the best weapon to kill the mythical cadejo.
• In the Friday the 13th series of films, Jason Voorhees uses a machete as his primary weapon.
• Danny Trejo plays a series of characters named Machete in Spy Kids, Grindhouse and finally into a planned feature film named for the character, Machete.

Notes

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