Facón
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A facón is a fighting and
utility knife A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes.Peterson, Harold L., ''Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World'', London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., , p. 1 Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with dur ...
widely used in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
as the principal tool and
weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
of the
gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...
of the
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
n
pampas The Pampas (; from Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all o ...
.Shackleford, Steven, ''Blade's Guide to Knives & Their Values'', (7th ed.), Iola, WI: Krause Publications, , (2010), p. 395


History

The ''facón'' is a derivation of the Portuguese ''facão'', a large-bladed fighting and utility knife that accompanied Portuguese explorers and émigrés during their settlement and exploration of
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.de Rementeria y Fica, Mariano, ''Manual of the Baratero'' (transl. and annot. by James Loriega), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, (2005) Deprived of their ability to wear a sword by various edicts, Spanish '' caballeros'' in South America adopted the facón,Estrada, Santiago, ''Miscelánea: El Duelo'', Barcelona: Henrich y Compania (1889) p. 249: "Entre las reliquias de la Conquista que el nuestro conserva, se cuenta la afición de los caballeros españoles á desnudar la espada, transmitida en la madre patria al majo, educado en la plaza de toros. El facón es hermano legítimo de la navaja sevillana." particularly in the nations of Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina as a convenient weapon of self-defense. In an 1828 account of the capture of ''Las Damas Argentinas'', a pirate schooner carrying a mixed group of Spanish-speaking pirates, the carrying of knives very similar to the facón is mentioned:
Amongst these eapons were a large number of long knives - weapons which the Spaniards use very dexterously. They are about the size of a common English carving knife, but for several inches up the blade cut both sides.
As a result of its bloody history, the facón and similar knives were frequently outlawed over the years in Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil, though without much outward effect.Slatta, Richard W., ''Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier'', University of Nebraska Press, , (1992), p. 74


Design

Often fitted with an elaborately decorated metal hilt and sheath, the ''facón'' has a large, heavy blade measuring from 25 cm (10 in.) to 51 cm (20 in.) in length. An 1830 article on the facón carried by the gaucho of that era describes it as a "carving knife" with a blade fourteen inches in length; it was carried in a leather sheath worn either in a waist sash or tucked into leggings. Most examples of the facón have crude decorations and are poorly fitted. Some examples were converted from cut-down swords, while others used blades imported from as far away as England.


Usage

The ''facón'' is both a
fighting knife A fighting knife has a blade designed to most effectively inflict injury in close-quarters physical confrontations.Burton, Walter E., ''Knives For Fighting Men'', Popular Science, July 1944, Vol. 145 No. 1, p. 150Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills ...
and a
utility knife A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes.Peterson, Harold L., ''Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World'', London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., , p. 1 Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with dur ...
universally adopted by the gaucho in Argentina and Uruguay in countless lethal knife fights and murders. The knife is typically worn at the back and tucked into the gaucho's belt to allow it to be quickly drawn with the right hand. As a fighting knife, the ''facón'' is the main article of combat in an indigenous style of knife fighting known as ''esgrima criolla'' ("Creole fencing") When used in this context, one hand holds the knife, and a ''
poncho A poncho (; ; ; "blanket", "woolen fabric") is a kind of plainly formed, loose outer garment originating in the Americas, traditionally and still usually made of fabric, and designed to keep the body warm. Ponchos have been used by the Indige ...
'' or coat is wrapped about the opposite arm to absorb cuts and stabs in a manner reminiscent of traditional Andalusian knife fighting styles using the long-bladed Spanish clasp knife or '' navaja sevillana''. As Charles Darwin said of the distinctive men who wore and used the ''facón'', "Many quarrels arose, which from the general manner of fighting with the knife often proved fatal." After the turn of the 19th century, when repeating
handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun, long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and br ...
s became more widely available, use of the facón as a close combat weapon declined. Among the gauchos, many continued to wear the knife, though mostly for use as a meat carving or utility knife. However, it was occasionally still used to settle arguments "of honor". In these situations two adversaries would attack with slashing attacks to the face, stopping the fight when one of the participants could no longer see clearly as the result of blood seeping from one or more facial cuts.''F. Molina Campos: He Paints the Cowboys of the Argentine Pampas'' Life Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 25, June 20, 1938, p. 35


See also

*
List of daggers The following is a list of notable daggers, either historical or modern. A dagger is a knife with a sharp point designed for fighting. Ancient daggers * Acinaces * Bronze Age dagger * Parazonium * Pugio * Sica European tradition ;High Middle Ages ...
*
Navaja The ''navaja'' is a traditional Spanish folding-blade fighting knife, fighting and utility knife.de Rementeria y Fica, Mariano, ''Manual of the Baratero'' (transl. and annot. by James Loriega), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, (2005) Etymology Th ...
* Corvo * Knife fighting


Notes


References


Darwin's Journal


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Facon Weapons of Argentina Daggers Gaucho culture Military equipment of South America