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Source Description
The underside of this Zuni (A:shiwi) jar (<em>olla</em>), made by a woman to collect and store water in the 1800s, curves upward to allow the jar to be carried atop the head. Today, this traditional skill is celebrated by the Zuni Olla Maidens, a nationally known dance group that performs while balancing ollas on their heads. Ollas naturally keep water cool via evaporation through their porous walls, a valuable trait in the desert Southwest. Many Zuni say that water from an olla tastes better than water from a tap.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
104753
label
Water Jar (Olla)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
104753
contentType
object
title
Water Jar (Olla)
description
The underside of this Zuni (A:shiwi) jar (<em>olla</em>), made by a woman to collect and store water in the 1800s, curves upward to allow the jar to be carried atop the head. Today, this traditional skill is celebrated by the Zuni Olla Maidens, a nationally known dance group that performs while balancing ollas on their heads. Ollas naturally keep water cool via evaporation through their porous walls, a valuable trait in the desert Southwest. Many Zuni say that water from an olla tastes better than water from a tap.
date
1880s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779882
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 26.5 x 37.5 cm (10 7/16 x 14 3/4 in.)
cul
Native North America, Southwest, New Mexico, Zuni (A:shiwi) Pueblo
accession
1923.1082
Source extras
tec
ceramic, slip
tombstone
Water Jar (Olla), 1880s. Native North America, Southwest, New Mexico, Zuni (A:shiwi) Pueblo. Ceramic, slip; overall: 26.5 x 37.5 cm (10 7/16 x 14 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Smithsonian Institution, 1923.1082
collection
AA - Native North America
formerAccessionNumbers
1644.23
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 407
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jenifer Neils. <em>The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 80, no. 85
creditline
Gift of the Smithsonian Institution
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:39:08.036000
sourceId
104753
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Native North America
med
ceramic, slip
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c710c79eb6d7fb17