The Machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool often used as a weapon. It was the Close-Range weapon of the Medellin Cartel. The Bolo Knife, Cane Knife and Kukri are machetes of different designs.
Description
The Machete has a long metal blade attached to an often wooden handle. The blade is usually straight with a single cutting edge.
Stats
- 2 foot blade
- 1.5 lbs
- Wood & steel
Use
In many tropical nations, it is used for cutting through undergrowth or for agricultural purposes, and may be used for a variety of oddjobs. Because it is common, it is often associated with uprisings and criminal organizations. Machetes exist in almost every nation, even those with strict laws against carrying weapons.
Machetes were vital in the Haitian Revolution. While the slave population heavily outnumbered the French; the majority of revolutionaries had no guns while the French troops had arsenals akin to what they used during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Haitians developed Machete martial arts to fight the French, and Haiti still have some practitioners of the art today [1].
Many cartels mutilate the corpses of their victims as psychological warfare. The "Colombian Necktie" involves the victim having their neck cut open and their tongue pulled through the wound.
Trivia
The nation of Angola has a machete on its national flag.