Zuni Culture Mural - Gallup, NM - Murals on Waymarking.com

The artist's words from the Zuni Mural brochure.

The Zuni Mural is purposely located on Second Street in Gallup. for years Zuni people have come down this road whether it be for grocery shopping, attending the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial or to sell handcrafted jewelry or art work.

The story line reads from south to north (righto left) like the road from Zuni to Gallup and shows how Zunis from their world and their beginning have brought Zuni tradition, culture, religion and history into this new world and to Gallup. The mural shows how Zuni has contributed to the growth of Gallup, economically and culturally.

Starting from the south side are the Olla Maidens, traditional water carriers since the Anasazi days. The Olla Maidens are walking out of the cliff dwelling scene symbolizing how far the indigenous people have come and what they have brought with them.

Next you see the stalks of corn with a blue green background representing food and water, the two most important elements of Zuni life.

The village is viewed from a rooftop of the Zuni Pueblo. Ascending is a ladder that descends into a dark entrance which is a kiva. The scene deals with the Zuni religion and the sacredness of their practices. The audience wants to know and can only imagine what goes on beneath the dark entrance. It is because of the many rules and restrictions that the religion has come this far.

In the plaza are wagons being loaded with trade goods, from fruits and vegetables to artifacts. From there the wagons are shown departing toward the horizon in the direction of Gallup. In the background you will see the Zuni River and above, Dowa Yallane or Corn Mountain, an icon of survival for the Zuni people, a stronghold during the Pueblo Revolt and a safe retreat during the floodings of the Zuni valley.

The trail of wagons leaving Zuni leads the eye to the Gallup scene, a view of Gallup in 1904. Goods are unloaded to be traded, sold or shipped off by train to consumers across the country.

AT the northern end of the mural you will see displayed: the hand crafted jewelry, pottery, fetish carvings and weavings that the Zunis still produce to this day. The arts and crafts are some of the great things along with the mural that the Zuni people have to offer Gallup and its community.

City: Gallup, NM Location Name: Octavia Fellin Public Library Artist: Geddy Epaloose Date: 2005 Media: Paint on stucco Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and description of your visit. One original photo of the mural must also be submitted. GPSr photo NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   04/30/2021 kingbee visited it 08/19/2020 rjmcdonough1 visited it 10/30/2019 wildernessmama visited it 03/21/2019 The Snowdog visited it

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