Machete Fencing - Haiti Observer Blog

Many often forget that Haitians were the unsung heroes of the emancipation of slavery. They drew bloody victory from their French oppressors, lighting a fire under slaves in other countries who chanced to hear what they had accomplished. Few know, however, that the Haitians did this by developing their own style of fighting, using the very tool that had become a symbol of their oppression. Today, a short film being showcased in Miami tells the story of the Haitian martial art of Tire Machet.

Being shown as part of Miami's Borscht Film Festival, the Jonathan David Kane short was screened at the Little Haiti Cultural center and the Adrienne Arsht Center. It tells the story of the first successful slave rebellion that gave birth to the first free black state, and how it was all achieved using what the film's developer, Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, calls the Third World Excalibur. The style incorporates traditional techniques such as French fencing, proto-capoeira, and African stick fighting. Over the years, whole the skill lost its necessity, it continues to be practiced for its fluidity and beauty. The practice has also become a sort of elite sport, in which only trusted community members are trained, and only a few are allowed to witness a session. Today, there is only one master willing to teach the skill to visitors.

Read more →