Wawash Kachinum or Runner Kachinas are racers who appear in the spring ceremonies to challenge the men and boys of the villages to races.
The belief is that the performance and outcome of these races affects how water will run down from the canyons.
Runner kachinas generally have oversized eyes and scant clothing to enhance their running ability. They can carry yucca whips, throwing sticks and in the case of the Tsil kachina, hot chili peppers.
If the racer kachinas win they may strike the loser with yucca whips, throw sticks, hit or tear clothing from the loser. The Tsin will stuff hot chili peppers in the mouth of the loser.
When the racing kachina loses he must reward the winner with a prize such as Piki bread.
Kachina types may cross match into one or more group since many kachinas are multi-faceted with numerous responsbilities and roles.
Print and trace the designs onto multi-color fun craft foam sheets to create pliable and colorful soft face masks. Use left over trimmings of foam pieces to cut and paste intricate designs and shapes onto the mask.
For best results print on heavy duty vellum paper or card stock. All paper mask designs are printable on regular or heavy duty 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Print landscape mode for larger masks, portrait setting for smaller masks.
