We can barely contain our excitement!  The incredible Summerlee Foundation has committed to match all 2018 individual donations to Shumla up to $100,000!

The Summerlee Foundation is a very special organization.  Their philosophy is simple: Make grant distributions to organizations that make a measurable difference to animals and Texas history. Their stated goal is to be proactive and attract the very best projects to support. And they picked Shumla!

Summerlee Foundation believes in the work we are doing and the importance of the ancient art we are preserving.  Now, the gauntlet has been laid and it's our job to rise to the challenge. Will you join us? Will you help us make the match? 

Thank you for your support. 

We know that together we can make the match!

Dr. Julio Amador Bech

Getting Down and Dirty with Rock Art Recording

We were so pleased this month to welcome Dr. Julio Amador Bech of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to Shumla. Julio is a full professor and has been a researcher in Mexican Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology for over 40 years. He has dedicated the last 16 years to the study of rock art of northwestern and central Mexico. 

Julio has been a friend and collaborator with Shumla for many years. Several of Julio's students have been interns at Shumla including names you'll recognize from previous eNews - Diana, Elsa, and Kathia. Julio and UNAM hosted Carolyn Boyd and Vicky Roberts in 2015. Carolyn lectured at UNAM for three days and then Julio and his team gave Carolyn and Vicky an experience of a lifetime visiting places like Chalcatzingo, Xochicalco, and Teotihuacan. In addition,  Julio and Carolyn are collaborating on a book currently titled Rock Art, Myth, and Ritual: Cultural Interactions from Mesoamerica to the American Southwest . It will be an edited volume including chapters from both US and Mexican scholars. 

All this, and yet, Julio had never been to Shumla. Boy, did we make up for lost time! We took him to eight rock art sites in one week all along the Pecos and Devils Rivers. 

He also worked with the Shumla team to record a Red Linear site in Seminole Canyon State Park.

We can't wait for Julio's next visit! 

 

Alexandria is on the Move

Shumla's Alexandria Project made it to the 20th International Rock Art Congress hosted by the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO) in  Valcamonica, Italy. 

Shumla friend and collaborator, Mark Willis, helped out and presented for Shumla Science Director, Dr. Karen Steelman when she couldn't be there due to a family emergency. Karen's presentation highlighted the Shumla team's Alexandria Project and reported new radiocarbon dates for Eagle Cave paintings (1700-1420 cal BC). Thank you, Mark! 

NEW Anthropology Ph.D. Program

We are so excited to share that our friends at Texas State University now offer a Ph.D. degree in applied anthropology! T he Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has approved a new Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) with a major in Applied Anthropology.

The program is the first applied anthropology doctoral program in the state of Texas and only the third in the nation! The Department of Anthropology at Texas State excels in two areas of applied anthropology: forensic anthropology and cultural resource management archaeology. Coursework in those areas incorporates intercultural communication, interdisciplinary understanding, research design, grant writing, project management, ethics and professional conduct, methods of data collection, and the use of theory in the interpretation of data. The global economy has created a tremendous need for research-based information and pragmatic uses of anthropological knowledge and skills, creating exciting and extensive career opportunities for applied anthropologists! 

The department has two major centers, the  Center for Archaeological Studies, and the  Forensic Anthropology Center, that provide research opportunities, lab space, and equipment for doctoral students. Faculty (including Shumla's Dr. Carolyn Boyd) are engaged in research worldwide and specialize in a variety of areas of anthropology.  Dr. Christina Conlee is the Ph.D. program coordinator. For more information email  [email protected]  or phone 512.245.8272.

Interested or know someone who is? There is a Graduate Student Open House on October 19, 10:00am-5:00pm  for anyone interested in the MA and PhD programs. RSVP with the department by October 10, 2018 using the  RSVP form . The schedule can be found on the  Open House page .

 

Will you support us?

Your gift will be MATCHED by Summerlee Foundation!

Donate today to fund our preservation and education programming and operations. Donate to Shumla here!

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Visit Shumla's Amazon Wish List  to make our wishes come true. 

October is Texas Archeology Month!

Each October,  Texas Archeology Month (TAM) celebrates its spirit of discovery. It's an opportunity for Texans to understand the:

No matter where you are in Texas, a community near you is hosting an archeology fair in October. Check out this map of events!

AUSTIN -  OCTOBER 20

Shumla's Amanda, Vicky and Jerod will be volunteering for an event at Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory on Saturday, October 20, 2018 from 10 AM - 12 PM. They will have a table and be sharing a hands-on activity of creating a charcoal pigment to make painted pebbles.

DEL RIO - NOVEMBER 3

Shumla will take part in the Annual Archaeology Fair in Del Rio on Saturday, November 3 from 10AM - 3PM. This super fun event is organized by the National Park Service and held at Del Rio's Whitehead Museum. 

The land, the art, the team, the mission.