Historically, the transportation of water for the Pueblos of the American Southwest was an important activity conducted primarily by females. Water commonly was transported in a jar, balanced on the top of the female's head. The antiquity of this practice has gone undetermined in the archaeological record because it represents a behavioral, instead of a material, aspect of society. As a result, virtually the only way to identify this practice and its antiquity in prehistory is through art. From the American Southwest, Mimbres painted pottery motifs documented females carrying jars on their heads, possibly representing water transportation, as early as 900 years ago.
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