February 2024

Dear Friends,

In this month of love, we at Shumla have enjoyed a lot of togetherness. Our staff and Board of Directors (including our new Board President, Tim Watt pictured with me) gathered last weekend for a pizza party at our San Marcos office. Before the party, each of us sent in a picture of ourselves as a baby and then we all had to try to guess who was who. It was a lot harder than we anticipated and had us laughing so hard we were gasping.

I also got a chance this month to spend some time in the field with the team. The weather was perfect, the view of the ice blue Pecos was breath-taking and the rock art did not disappoint. We will be sharing more about this year's preservation documentation work later, but here are some pictures for you of our awesome team in action.

Don't forget! Treks start in March. Register now! And you can also register now for the March Lunch and Learn. Scroll down for more information. We love it when you join us in our passion for the rock art.

Sending best wishes,

Jessica

Texas State University Visit to Shumla

We were so excited to welcome Texas State University President, Dr. Kelly Damphousse, to Shumla in early February. He was accompanied by the Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Mary Brennan and Dr. Beth Erhart, as well.

It was a wonderful opportunity to share the collaborative work Shumla has been doing with Texas State University through the Hearthstone Project. Project Lead's, Dr. Carolyn Boyd and Dr. Phil Dering (Texas State) and Dr. Karen Steelman (Shumla) and I shared the rock art, the landscape, Shumla's laboratory and campus with the folks from Texas State. We had a blast and look forward to more collaborations in the future!

Lifetime of Achievements

Last month, Missy Harrington was surprised at the Comstock High School reunion with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by her family members Gwen, Troy and Danny.

Patrick Zuberbueler gave a speech that we would love to share with you! Here's what he said:



"Tonight we take this opportunity to honor one of our graduates. This graduate has dedicated her life to her family, church, community and to the students of Comstock High School.

From the beginning, she has always given 110 percent of herself to anything she invested her time and talents. This not only meant her husband, her son and her extended family but also to her church and the family ranching business.

For over 26 years, she ensured that the students in her classroom and at school strove to be their best and to set the stage for their future success.

After a rewarding career as an educator, she continued her life-long love of teaching by becoming a member of the staff of the-then Shumla School. From its inception in 1998, the school was backed by the selfless giving of Missy and her husband, Jack. They generously donated 60 acres of land to build the Shumla campus while providing maintenance and other essential needs and teaching 1000s of students about the rock art of the Lower Pecos. Missy is still involved in the day to day operations dedicated to excellence as she is in anything she tackles.

Please join me in honoring Missy with this Lifetime Achievement Award."

Join us in congratulating Missy, we couldn't be prouder!

Welcoming Shumla's Intern

Join us in welcoming our newest intern, Mandy Newport!

Mandy Newport is interning with Shumla to create a rock art curriculum for grades 3 through 5. She comes to Shumla with a B.A. in Education, an M.Ed. in Education Policy and Leadership, and an M.A. in Public Anthropology.



Mandy is a K-12 teacher, former museum educator, archaeologist, and owner of an education consulting company. She currently teaches Introduction to Archaeology at American University and does cultural resource management work in the Washington, DC-area.

Mandy is excited to work with Shumla remotely this spring and in person in Comstock for June and July. Welcome Mandy!

Trek with Shumla

There's still time to sign up for our March and April Spring Treks! Join us as we explore the ancient and historic rock art sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Southwest Texas.

MARCH TREKS

Sunday, March 17, 2024 Fate Bell Annex, Fate Bell Shelter and Running Horse

Saturday, March 23, 2024 VV75 and Red Linear Type Site

Sunday, March 24, 2024 Virtual Trek to Panther Cave at Shumla HQ and Visit to Panther Cave Overlook

APRIL TREKS

Saturday, April 13, 2024 Eagle Cave, Skiles Shelter and Kelley Cave

Sunday, April 14, 2024 Black Cave and Vaquero Shelter

Saturday, April 27, 2024 Crab and Sunburst Shelters

Sunday, April 28, 2024 Painted Shelter

March Lunch & Learn

At Shumla we’re “all about the art,” but it’s important to remember that the art is a part of and was informed by a wider cultural and environmental context.



Archaeobotanist, Dr. Phil Dering is joining us today to share about the timing of Pecos River style art, the conditions under which it was produced, and the nature of the society that produced it.



The Cultural and Environmental Context of Pecos River Style Art

Presenter: Phil Dering, PhD.

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time

Platform: Zoom

Ready for Results?

You've supported us and cheered us on since the beginning of the Hearthstone Project. Now that the rigorous work of gathering the data is done, the meticulous work of analysis and drawing conclusions is in full swing. We can't wait to share what we are learning.

Join us for the Hearthstone Project Results Lunch and Learn Series. In March, Dr. Phil Dering will lay the groundwork for the Hearthstone Project and the cultural and environmental context of the world the painters of the Pecos River Style murals inhabited. Then, in four parts the results of our various scientific studies will be discussed.

Check out the schedule below and mark your calendar. You can register anytime at https://shumla.org/education/lunchandlearn.

APRIL 17

David Keim, M.A. – Shumla

Hearthstone Project Results 1 of 4: The Rule of Paint Sequencing

Over the course of the three years of the Hearthstone Project, the Shumla/Texas State Hearthstone Project team conducted digital microscopy at ten Pecos River Style rock art sites. In April's Lunch and Learn, David will start our four-part series by sharing the results of the microscopy analyses and the unbelievable lengths the painters went to in order to follow the rules of paint sequencing.

MAY 15

Diana Radillo Rolón, PhD. – Shumla

Hearthstone Project Results 2 of 4: Proof of Composition

In the second of our four-part series on the results of the Hearthstone Project, Diana will share the compositional structure of the murals the team studied. Through the use of Harris Matrix, Diana will show how the murals, and in particular the iconic panel at the south end of Fate Bell Shelter in Seminole Canyon State Park, were woven together in a complex composition that lays the groundwork for the interpretation that will be the topic of the third Hearthstone Project Results Lunch and Learn.

JUNE 19

Carolyn Boyd, PhD. – Texas State University

Hearthstone Project Results 3 of 4: Motif Interpretation

In 2023, Drs. Carolyn Boyd and Phil Dering conducted interviews and collected audio recordings as Indigenous Huichol consultants related Pecos River Style imagery to their own myths and cosmology. In June's Lunch and Learn, Carolyn will share results of the analysis of these indigenous interviews and how they are opening new lines of inquiry and discovery in the interpretation of Pecos River Style murals. You will marvel at how they reveal deeply embedded symbols and concepts in the rock art that endure today in the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous Native America.



JULY 17

Karen Steelman, PhD. – Shumla

Hearthstone Project Results 4 of 4: A Chronology Emerges

Through the Hearthstone Project, Shumla's Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory obtained 60 radiocarbon dates for Pecos River Style pictographs. In the fourth and final Lunch and Learn in our Hearthstone Results series, Karen will reveal and synthesize these dates with the iconographic data, particularly what has been revealed about key motifs like the winged-anthropomorph and single-pole ladder.

Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center 

P.O. Box 627, Comstock, TX 78837

info@shumla.org | shumla.org 

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