Scorpion (Puchkofmoktaka) Kachina
Puchkofmoktaka is the Hopi name for, what is most commonly known as, the Scorpion Kachina or Throwing Stick Man on some mesas. The figure is called “Scorpion Kachina” because the scorpion carries its own throwing stick on the tip of his tail. This doll represents a runner Katsinam who, in specific ceremonies, races Hopi men and uses his rabbit sticks to throw at whomever he is racing. However, instead of them being actual sticks, they are made of cloth or leather stuffed with cotton to prevent injury.1 This runner is also sometimes referred to as a hunter because of the rabbit sticks it carries. As you can see, the doll in the Smith College Museum of Art’s collection is missing the two rabbit sticks.
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