When telling about this old machete Kéncho revealed to us the almost forgotten craft of the haladó specialized in the re-use of old metal.

“Back in the days we called these knives houru which derives from the Dutch word houwer. In the course of time we used the word machete more often. The handgrip of an old machete has always been broken once. Reparation is done by wrapping a piece of cloth around it. These machetes were imported or made on the island by so- called haladó. These were craftsmen specialized in using car body parts. As a matter of fact the haladós recycled loads of old car metals.”

“The haladós worked from home. Later they would make machetes using a grindstone. I found this in the garden of my grandmother’s house. “Before my grandmother there was a family living on our land consisting of well diggers, shovelers and haladó. These haladó heated farm tools and slammed them with special hammers to sharpen them. A lot of these people worked on our land but they died one by one and other people just took their objects and put them to the side. I studied archeology so I know how to dig, excavate and preserve objects.”

To that we are grateful.