Zuni Olla Maidens

The dance began with a potter. Daisy Hooee Nampeyo, a Hopi woman who married into Zuni and taught pottery classes there, started the balanced-jar dance in the 1920s to show off Zuni pottery, dress and jewelry. The group dates itself to the 1940s, though a 1937 Gallup Ceremonial pamphlet suggests it was performing earlier, and every member since has been related to those first women. The men's songs they sing were given by permission, including a Buffalo Song from a relative who survived Bataan. The National Endowment for the Arts counts them among its National Heritage Fellows.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Zuni Olla Maidens Zuni Pueblo The Zuni Olla Maidens are an all-women's group renowned for their skill and ability to balance fragile water jars or ollas on their heads. Historically, Zuni women collected water in ollas from nearby springs for everyday use. Today, they perform in parades and community events, walking with water jars placed on their heads while singing their own compositions and those traditionally sung by Zuni men. New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative The New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative was founded in 2005 by members of the New Mexico Women's Forum in a statewide effort to recognize women's contributions to New Mexico history on the state's Official Scenic Historic Markers. The Initiative ensures that women's diverse histories will be remembered and told, and will inspire and provide a guide for future generations. The 2006 Legislature funded the project.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• El Morro National Monument — 24 mi
  A sandstone headland with a pool at its foot, where Puebloan people, Spanish governors and American soldiers all left their marks, until carving became illegal in 1906.

More markers nearby

• Pueblo of Zuni — 2.9 mi
• Pueblo of Zuni — 5.7 mi
• Matilda Coxe Stevenson (1849-1915) — 22 mi
• El Morro National Monument Inscription Rock — 24 mi