APACHE BOY KILLS DRAGON

Apache Knife Fighting & Battle Tactic 8

By Snake Blocker, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

Apache Boy Kills Dragon

Painted Woman was considered the first mother of the Apache people.  She was the mother of many children, but after a time, Dragon was afraid that they would multiple too much and become greater in power and strength than he.  Dragon would smell the scent of an infant, find him or her, and eat the baby.  After the loss of many infants, Painted Woman gave birth again, but this time, she hides him deep in a cave and covered the entrance.  Dragon came around and smelled the scent of the infant, but he could not find any.  He came back, time and time again, looking for the infant but finding none.  Dragon approached Painted Woman and said, “Give me your infant, for I smell him and I know he is around!”  Painted Woman said, “You have taken all my children and it’s the old smell from the many you have taken before.”  Dragon left, but kept lurking around to try and find the boy.  Painted Woman was training the boy in the cave on all the battle tactics he would need to hunt and survive once he left the cave.  Many seasons had passed and the boy was now too big to hide in the cave. He told his mother that he was ready for adventures outside the cave.  Painted Woman warned him to be very careful, because Dragon comes around often. The boy would hide in trees and rocks while he hunted and only came back to the cave to visit his mother.  One day, Dragon came around and spotted the boy while the boy was out hunting.  Dragon said, “I knew I would find you, for I have smelled your scent for many seasons.  You will die today boy!”  The Apache boy said, “Not today, for it is not a good day to die for me, but I am hunting, and you will taste better than deer meat.”  Dragon laughed and charged towards the boy.  The boy pulled back on his bow and released an arrow.  The arrow went straight and true to Dragon’s heart area, but only one scale fell from his protected body.  Dragon laughed again and continued to charge.  The boy pulled back on his bow again and released a second arrow.  The arrow hit the heart area, but only one scale fell down from its thick coat.  The boy climbed a tree and shot at Dragon a third time, but this time, after another scale fell off, he could see the final layer of skin covering Dragon’s heart.  As Dragon was climbing the tree, the boy shot his fourth arrow, which pierced the skin and went into Dragon’s heart.  Dragon fell down from the tree and died on the ground below.  The boy brought Dragon to his mother and she rejoiced over the great news.  Painted Woman danced four cycles around Dragon and then they thanked the One Creator for the victory. 

Some Native Americans have their heart located at the center or even the right side of their body.  The Apache Warriors are taught to never assume one strike to the heart area will kill someone.  They are told to stab the heart at least four times around the chest area, to make sure their enemy is dead.  Many times, a strike hits the heart area, but misses the main vital areas by a hair width.  When an Apache strikes four times to the heart area and kills the enemy, it is called, Dragon Killer tactic.