THE SPLIT TONGUE

Apache Knife Fighting & Battle Tactic 5

By Snake Blocker, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

The Split Tongue

Long ago, after the Apaches and creatures came above ground, to Turtle Island from Underworld, there was peace for a time and a half a time.  The Apaches were multiplying and becoming stronger and more skilled in hunting each season.  Dragon, who ruled the land creatures, believed that soon the Apaches would be stronger than his creatures and would take over his rule of them.  Dragon was a large and powerful reptile that had 3-7 layers of scales around its body and was the most feared of all creatures.  At that time, the Apaches and the creatures of the land and air all spoke the same language and could understand each other.  Dragon feared that if there was a war between him and the Apaches, some of the creatures would side with the Apaches in battle.  Dragon gathered all the land creatures together in the Valley of the Red Blood and commanded them to never speak the language of the Apaches again.  When the command was made, the snakes were in Underworld, and didn’t hear the command from Dragon.  The snakes would always go back and forth from Turtle Island and Underworld.  The night came when there was a great battle between Dragon and the Apaches.  The snakes came up from Underworld when they heard the ground shake from the battle.  They spoke to the Apaches who asked for their assistance.  The snakes sided with the Apaches in battle, but the battle was lost and many thousands of Apaches were slaughtered.  The snakes were all brought to Dragon, after the battle.  Dragon said, “Why did you disobey my command to never speak to the Apaches? Why did you side with the Apaches?”  The snakes said, “We never heard your command.  We were in Underworld, until we heard the shaking of Turtle Island.  The Apaches asked us to help and we have no fight with the Apaches.”  Dragon said, “You will never speak to the Apaches again!  You will never speak any language again!”  Dragon took his claws and split the tongues of all the snakes.  After that, the snakes could no longer speak; they could only make the hissing sound and their tongue would never be straight again.

The Apache warriors would take a single or double weapon and attack in a Direct Wind (straight direction attack) and half way through the motion, they would change the angle to an Upward Wind strike (upward vertical direction attack), Downward Wind strike (downward vertical direction attack), or Cross Wind strike (horizontal direction attack) .  This action emulated the curving and splitting of the snake’s tongue, so the Apaches called it the Split Tongue tactic.