Machete and Col?n

[mountainfrog]

The word "col?n" (for the pointed narrow machete) is said to come from the manufacturer "Collins".
Some people even say that they had a factory in this country (La Vega area).
My search came up with much different information which points to Connecticut and the Collins and Watkinson families there.
http://uc.rutgers.edu/focus/article/Capitalism in Connecticut/1056/p1
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2001/2/2001_2_84.shtml

Any further information is much appreciated.

m'frog

 

[Hillbilly]

You are sort of right. The Collins name is from the Conn. factories. All of their various machetes carried a black and white lable with the Collins logo on it.

In this country, the Dominican Republic, the name Collins became identified with the object and hence became the local name for the more narrow bladed tool. The wider bladed tool was called the 'machete' , and the name 'mocha' --pronounced mo cha, not like the coffee--is the tool used in the cane fields.

There is a factory in La Vega that makes machetes of several varieties. But the name is still "col?n" for the normal tool..


HB

 

[mountainfrog]

Collins vs. Tramontina

There is a factory in La Vega that makes machetes of several varieties. But the name is still "col?n" for the normal tool..

Thank you, HB.
From this I gather that the La Vega factory has and had nothing to do with the famous Collins brand which seemed to lead to the common name "col?n" when they were imported from the US (until 1966 ?)
What's the name of the factory in LV?
Do they still manufacture machetes?

We use the Brazilian Tramontina brand.

m'frog

 

[Hillbilly]

I think it is PROMEDOCA = Productos Metalicos Dominicanos CxA.
They are in La Vega and have nothing to do with the Collins folks.
You can still get Collins here at the Ferr. Americana in Santo Domingo. I have not really looked lately but I am sure that they can be had in Santiago too.

HB