Manchèt: Haitian Creole for Machete

When you visit the island nation of Haiti, there’s no doubt you will see me in the hands of many. I am the manchèt, or, machete, and I am one of the most popular, versatile instruments ever carried by men and women on this mountainous land.

In the rural provincial towns beyond  Port au Prince, I am most commonly spotted in the hands of those working in their gardens and on their farms. As my owners toil away in the unforgiving  heat of the harsh  Haitian sun, I, too, am hard at work. My long, sharp edges clear brush and overgrowth. I cut back branches and carve out the steep meandering mountain paths  leading to modest homesteads. I have even cleared the way for soccer fields, or tè futbòl, as they are called locally.

More than just a tool for gardening and farming, I can also be found on the brilliant white-sand beaches of my homeland. Where the crystal-blue waters of the Caribbean meet these pristine beaches, coconut trees sway in the winds, and the fruits they produce hang, waiting for someone to cut them down. I am able to easily crack through the protective shell of the coconut, exposing not only the fresh, white meat of the fruit, but opening up to drink the refreshing water found inside. Without me, this island delight would be far more complicated to access.

I chop firewood. I open canned goods and large sacks of rice, beans, and other commodities found in each town’s open markets. I also am used to clean up after the damaging hurricanes that plague  this country.

Unfortunately, I can also be used as a weapon— be it as a tool of protection and self-defense, or as a weapon to maim and harm someone. It is not uncommon for my handler to use my flat side— my dull edge— as a paddling device to force someone into submission: a child or a wife, or between two men trying to settle a dispute . What a dangerous way to use ! Accidents happen, too.  Any unfortunate interaction with me may force you to go to the local clinic for a bit of suturing.

Then, of course, there’s the less-known function, dating back hundreds of years. Tirè manchèt, or machete fencing, which came into practice during the days of the revolution. Accustomed to cutting and peeling  the stalks of sugarcane, the revolutionists turned me into a  weapon of war against the French. We  famously won that war of independence in 1804. 

Today, my primary purpose, thankfully, inis as  a tool of utility, not of violence. But oh, how my ancestors could talk about what their razor-sharp blades have sliced over the years! What a story that would be!

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