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A Note from the Director
This time of year lends itself to reflection. Somehow, as the year closes, time seems to slow and, for just a moment, we can stop our dogged forward motion long enough to look back and take stock.
For me, looking back leads to such a sense of pride and gratitude -- pride at all that Shumla has accomplished this year and gratitude for all those who made it possible. Yes, I'm talking about YOU. Because of your generosity, Shumla's staff has been able to make enormous strides.
Of course, I can't resist naming a few of 2016's accomplishments...
- Publication of The White Shaman Mural (order here),
- Completion of 50 figure graphic databases documenting the highly endangered Rattlesnake Canyon mural,
- The graduation of one stellar Shumla Scholars class, who nominated Comstock's Cemetery to be a Historic Texas Cemetery,
- Welcoming a new Shumla Scholar class who will work on the documentation of the Tinaja site,
- Fantastic presentations at the Society for American Archaeology in Orlando, Texas Archaeological Society Meetings in Nacogdoches, UNESCO conference in Saltillo, Mexico, and others,
- Preparation for the Alexandria Project, launching in 2017
- A new Shumla website and a new Shumla video,
- Recruiting Dr. Karen Steelman to be our new Asst. Research Director and run her state-of-the-art chemistry lab in Comstock,
- Content and imagery developed for the Rock Art Interactive exhibit in the Witte Museum People of the Pecos Hall - opening March 2017
- Documentation of High Country Shelter with the Shumla interns
- Features in Del Rio Grande, Texas Observer, and Texas Heritage Magazine
- And so much more...!
We all - Carolyn, Brenda, Keith, Vicky, Jerod, Kate, Missy, Karen, and myself - want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Wishing you peace and joy,
Jessica Lee
Executive Director
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We are almost there!
Only $8,000 to go.
Your gift matters!
Every gift is matched.
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A Visit from Texas
Country Reporter
Since 1972, Bob Phillips, the Texas Country Reporter, has been driving the highways and byways of Texas to tell the story of extraordinary Texans. This month, he, his wife Kelli and videographer Brian Hawkins found their way to our extraordinary Texan, Carolyn Boyd, and to the pictographic murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. They had no idea what to expect and were truly awe-inspired by what they discovered.
Carolyn and the Shumla Team took them to the White Shaman mural, Fate Bell Shelter in Seminole Canyon State Park and to Shumla Headquarters.
At White Shaman, they filmed the team using the digital
microscope to collect
more data
on paint stratigraphy.
At Fate Bell, Carolyn told Bob and Kelli about the lifeways of the ancient people who lived in the rock shelter and painted the impressive murals. They were stunned by the complexity and sophistication of both the people and their paintings
.
At Shumla HQ, Bob and Kelli sat enthralled as Carolyn explained her interpretation of the White Shaman Mural.
It was an incredible day! T
he show is scheduled to air in February.
Stay tuned to our eNews, Facebook and website for the exact date and time!
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Shumla's Facebook family bought us a camera lens!
Shumla tried fundraising on Facebook for the first time on Giving Tuesday. We asked our Facebook friends to donate $2,000 to pay for a new 14 mm ultra-wide camera lens. For Giving Tuesday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offered to match Facebook Fundraising Campaign gifts up to $1,000.
Guess what?
Our Facebook friends came through in less than a day!!
We raised $2,050 through donations by our Facebook friends and an added $1,000 match from the Gates Foundation. We were stunned!
Here you can see our new L-Series Ultra-Wide Canon Lens. Jerod explained that photography nerds call it an "L-Glass." Well... just l
ook at what our L-Glass can do...
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The Pecos Bridge from the White Shaman Shelter as dusk.
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The stars provide the backdrop for the mural on the Winter Solstice at night.
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Venus shines brightly and is captured perfectly by our new special lens.
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This lens is so good it feels like magic. It greatly enhances our landscape photography for the context photos we take as part of our rock art documentation and it will make the capture of SfM images for 3-D modeling so much faster because of the wide-angle. This is very important for the Alexandria Project.
Thank you Facebook Friends! You've bought us the Lexus of camera lenses and we promise to make great use of it!
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Spotlight on
Emil Zuberbueler
Shumla's Board President
As a non-profit organization, we are governed by a Board of Directors. Having a strong and engaged Board President is key to a non-profit's success. We are so lucky to have President Emil!
Emil grew up in Comstock. The eldest son of local ranchers, he is a member of the Zuberbueler family with a long ranching history in Val Verde County. Like his brothers, sisters and cousins, he grew up with the murals in his "backyard" not knowing how unique and significant they were.
In 2003, Emil met Carolyn Boyd who told him about the importance of the rock art. Returning often to Comstock from his home in Arizona and later Washington D.C., he would visit with Carolyn and the other Shumla staff. His childhood home, where his mother lived, was just across the street from Shumla Headquarters. As Shumla continued to make advances in research, preservation and education, Emil's interest grew. In 2007, he joined the Shumla Board of Directors and, finally, became the President of the Board in 2012. Under his leadership we have grown and expanded our preservation and outreach in unimaginable ways.
We are all so grateful to Emil for his leadership and his dedication to Shumla and to the murals of the Lower Pecos.
Thank you, Emil!
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Welcome Kathia!
We are so excited to introduce our new intern from Mexico City. Kathia
Elisa García Gómez is a part of the team of Mexican archaeologists we are training in the Shumla Method of rock art documentation.
Since 2014, Kathia has worked as a research assistant at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) for Dr. Julio Amador Bech, professor in archaeology and anthropology. Dr. Amador Bech studies rock art in the Sonoran Desert, as well as the iconography of Chalcatzingo, in Morelos, MX. In 2015, Kathia began her teacher's assistantship as assistant professor under Dr. Amador Bech. She completed her undergraduate degree this year. Congratulations, Kathia!
Her expertise and talent are a welcome addition to our team. We wish she could stay with us longer, but hope to welcome her back again soon!
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Kathia working with the Shumla team at White Shaman. You guessed it, this incredible picture was taken with our new Canon L-Series Lens.
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Make Us Smile!
This holiday season, don't forget to make Shumla your charity on
Amazon Smile
. We'll receive .5% of every purchase you make at no additional cost to you.
(wink...wink...)
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Come for the rock art, stay for the atmosphere! The rock art of the Lower Pecos could not be situated in a more beautiful setting. The desert is vast here, with huge skies and rolling hills that meet the crystal blue waters of the Amistad Reservoir. After you've visited the rock art, you can bird watch, water ski, bass fish, and then go camping for the night. Or you might like to visit the locally-owned shops of Del Rio's old town and drink wine at the Val Verde winery. In Del Rio there are lots of comfy places to stay and yummy places to eat. And you'll always find a warm welcome. Come and see!
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