Everyone Has A Machete

One of my first moments of culture shock in Panama happened when I went to buy my first machete. Machetes are necessary tools in Latin America, utilized for lawn mowing, coconut opening, bushwhacking, snake killing and a variety of other uses. I had never really given much thought to machetes before. To me, they were just a precarious weapon that had absolutely no purpose in my life. However, my assimilation into Panamanian culture, as well as my curiosity, required that I buy myself one.

Walking out of the hardware store, scimitar wrapped in a long tube under my arm, I must say I felt awkward transiting the streets of Panama City. As I exited a taxi, a police officer abruptly stopped me to ask what the long, slender metallic item I carried was. Stuttering and instantly sweating, I pointed to the handle of the machete in my hand. “Esta bien,” he said, and ushered me on my way.

“That’s ok?” I thought. I’m meandering through the streets of the banking district of a large city wielding a scabbard, and they haven’t called in the paddy wagon? What planet am I on?

I have heard stories in my rural hometown of days gone by when students would bring in their father’s rifle or shotgun to shop class for repairs during study hall, but that was many moons ago. Surely the whole world has changed too, right?

Little by little, I learned to file and use my machete from some of the locals, but I doubt I’ll ever be as adept as they are. Upon revealing a few of the minor nicks and cuts I’d receive from an errant swing, they would generally pick on me unmercifully… just before lifting their pant leg to show all the scars that adorn their own shins. Some farmers make jokes about sleeping on their backs with their machete upon their chest like ninjas. They insist that should a fly enter the room, they’ll split it in two like a ninja without opening their eyes. Most are very talented, but I personally think they watch too many kung fu movies.

TAGS: Culture Living Abroad Panama

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