Master blacksmith says blacksmithing is a good career

Francisco Cruz Lizama shows off one of the machetes that he forged during the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts in Guam. Guam’s master blacksmith was on Saipan last week as part of the Northern Marianas Humanities Council’s cultural awareness program. (Jon Perez)

Master blacksmith Francisco Cruz Lizama said a good alternative career is what blacksmithing offers to those who want to learn the trade. The 74-year-old has almost 30 years of experience being a blacksmith.

“This is a good career because one good machete costs about $500. The good machetes can last for generations, I have a machete at home that is more than 70 years old and it was handed over by my grandfather to my father,” said Lizama.

“A good machete sings when you flick the blade. You can hear there’s the ding and that would last a lifetime where you could use it cracking open coconuts, cleaning the yard, and any other household work,” Lizama added.

He said that he worked hard before the start of the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts where he made 20 machetes, which were all bought during the two-week long quadrennial event attended by 28 island nations in the Pacific.

Aside from machetes, knives, and other tools that can be used for gardening and farming, Lizama also makes six other types of tools that the Chamorros use. These are the teras pugua (betel nut scissors), fisga (pronged fishing spear), si’i (tool for preparing weaving materials), so’soh (coconut meat extractor), kamyo’ (coconut grater), and fusiños (garden hoe).

Lizama said it takes him three days to make one machete with the car’s leaf spring as the best metal that can be used to make sure the blade is strong and sharp. “The best leaf spring metal to use is from cars in 1957 or older. And there are plenty of those in salvage yards in Guam.”

The former fire chief said that it’s not easy work in creating one piece of tool. “It’s very hot just making one tool. When you’re working with metal, coal, and fire. You have to endure the 800-degree heat so you need to get used to it.”

He said blacksmithing became his career ever since he entered the U.S. Armed Service. “I learned from master blacksmith [Tun Joaquin] Jack Lujan, he taught me how to become a blacksmith. From then on I started working with metal and continued doing when I came home in Guam after my service.”

Lizama said that he spent more than 600 hours—that spanned four years—as an apprentice under Lujan’s strict guidance. The anvil, furnace, and hammer, are some of the tools used by Lizama and other blacksmiths in their metal craft.

He was on Saipan as part of the Northern Marianas Humanities Council’s project, in cooperation with the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council, in promoting awareness in the CNMI’s indigenous culture.