Haitian Tire Machèt Used as Weapon During Haitian Slave Revolt

Haitian Machete Fighting ~ January 2012

Stick fighting, as well as Tire Machèt, is grounded in African practices that were imported along with Congolese slaves to Haiti in colonial times. Stick fighting and Tire Machèt have gained strength as martial arts disciplines, due to Haiti's isolation from the world. Although Haiti endured unimaginable poverty by being cut off from the rest of the world, it enabled important primitive traditions to flourish, among them Tire Machèt.

Haitian Machete Fighting

When France and Spain invaded Haiti in the 1700s, they introduced the art of fencing. As European culture took hold, Haiti's military commanders gravitated towards the refinements of European culture. They readily learned the art of fencing from the French, which they used against them in military campaigns over time. Henri Christophe and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, both important figures during Haiti's fight for independence, mastered the skill and used it against untrustworthy underlings.

Eventually, Tire Machèt and its cousin, stick fighting, fused with the European fighting traditions. The outcome has been the modern form of Tire Machèt.

JEAN-LOUIS By Adam Adrian Crown

Here is an article written about Jean-Louis Michel, a Master in Haitian Fencing. You can read more about it here.

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