(wind blowing)
(ethereal music)
>> THE ROCK ART HERE IN THE
LOWER PECOS IS WORLD CLASS.
>> MOST PEOPLE IN TEXAS HAVE NO
IDEA THE TREASURE WITHIN THEIR
BORDERS.
>> THERE IS REALLY NOTHING LIKE
IT ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
IT BECOMES A WINDOW INTO THE
PAST FOR US NOW.
>> THE LOWER PECOS AREA OF WEST
TEXAS, NEAR WHERE THE PECOS
RIVER JOINS THE RIO GRANDE, IS
WELL OFF THE BEATEN PATH TODAY.
BUT THESE DESERT CANYONS WERE
FAMILIAR TO SOME OF THE
EARLIEST TEXANS.
>> THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS AREA
IS THESE ROCK SHELTERS
AND CLIFF FACES.
PEOPLE BEGINNING AT THE END OF
THE LAST ICE AGE BEGAN SETTLING
INTO THESE ROCK SHELTERS
AND UTILIZING THE PLANTS,
THE FISH, AND UPLAND RESOURCES.
AND THESE THINGS PRESERVED
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
>> ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS OF
BONE AND STONE REVEAL
HUMAN PRESENCE DATING
BACK 12,000 YEARS.
AND AT LEAST 4,000 YEARS AGO
NATIVE PEOPLE BEGAN TO LEAVE
THEIR MARK ON THE LANDSCAPE IN
A DIFFERENT WAY, CREATING
VIVID ROCK PAINTINGS THAT
ENDURE TODAY.
BUT WHAT DID THEY MEAN TO THE
PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM?
>> IT'S REALLY HARD TO STEP BACK
4,000 YEARS TO INTERPRET
SOMETHING.
>> THERE'S NO ROSETTA STONE.
THERE'S NO WAY OF KNOWING
ABSOLUTELY WHAT THIS MEANS.
(wind)
>> THOUGH SOME SECRETS OF THIS
ARTWORK MAY NEVER BE UNLOCKED,
ONE RESEARCHER IS DETERMINED
TO DECIPHER THE IMAGES IN
THESE ROCK SHELTERS.
CAROLYN BOYD FIRST CAME TO THE
LOWER PECOS IN THE LATE 1980'S.
>> I WAS WORKING PROFESSIONALLY
AS AN ARTIST AT THE TIME AND I
CAME OUT BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS
ABOUT THE OLDEST ART THAT WE
HAD IN OUR STATE.
AND I BEGAN COMING OUT
AND DOING SKETCHES OF THE ROCK
ART AND WHAT I SAW WAS THAT
RATHER THAN BEING JUST A
RANDOM COLLECTION OF IMAGES,
I WAS NOTICING COMPOSITIONS,
PLANNED PAINTINGS,
IF YOU WILL, MURALS.
AND EVERYTHING THAT I WAS
READING WAS CONTRARY TO THAT.
>> THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT
DID NOT QUITE AGREE WITH HER.
WE LOOKED AT THE ROCK ART
AND SAID THIS IS GREAT,
WE NEED TO RECORD IT
BUT WE'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT.
WHAT DOES SHE KNOW?
SHE'S JUST AN ARTIST.
>> I THOUGHT, WELL, I GUESS I
NEED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.
SO I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL
AND GOT MY PhD IN ANTHROPOLOGY,
BECAUSE I FELT THAT IF THEY ARE
COMPOSITIONS THEN THEY CONTAIN
AN AWFUL LOT OF INFORMATION
TO BE ACCESSED.
>> SHE CONVERTED ME IN A HURRY.
>> IT'S JUST MAGNIFICENT.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING
TO GO FIRST.
>> ACCESS TO THE PICTOGRAPHS
HAS BEEN ONE OBSTACLE TO
EXTENSIVE STUDY, SO PAINTED
RENDERINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
HAVE LONG BEEN IMPORTANT
RESEARCH TOOLS.
BUT THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR
VIEWING THE SITES THEMSELVES.
>> WE HAVE MORE ROCK ART HERE
IN A 50 MILE RADIUS OF THE
MOUTH OF THE PECOS THAN MOST
ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD.
I THINK THEY'VE GOT OVER 350
SITES DOCUMENTED AT THIS TIME.
>> IS THAT ONE THAT'S GOING
THIS WAY?
>> PROBABLY 98, 99% OF THEM ARE
PRIVATELY OWNED.
>> IT'S SO PRETTY.
>> SEMINOLE CANYON STATE PARK
AND HISTORIC SITE, HOWEVER,
IS ONE PLACE THAT SCHOLARS
AND EVERYONE ELSE CAN SEE
LOWER PECOS ROCK ART UP CLOSE.
>> NOW ANOTHER SYMBOL IN THIS
ROCK ART, THAT IS WHAT IS
CALLED A CRENULATED ARCH.
IT IS THERE TO REPRESENT THE
PHYSICAL BARRIER BETWEEN THE
REAL WORLD AND THE SPIRIT
WORLD OR THE AFTERWORLD.
>> YOU GO DOWN RIGHT IN THAT
CANYON AND YOU STEP BACK 3,000,
4,000 YEARS.
AND SO MANY TIMES I GET PEOPLE
UP THERE AND YOU HEAR BACK IN
THE BACKGROUND, 'WOW.'
(laughs)
YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY.
YOU'RE IN THE BOOK,
NOT READING IT.
>> WHAT DO YOU SEE A
LITTLE BIT HIGHER?
ANTLERS.
LOTS OF ANTLERS.
>> WHILE CAROLYN BOYD
CONTRIBUTES TO THE
UNDERSTANDING OF LOWER PECOS
ROCK ART IN THE ACADEMIC WORLD,
SHE IS ALSO INCREASING
AWARENESS IN THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY.
>> THESE KIDS ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THESE
SITES ARE SO THEY CAN BE
ABLE TO PROTECT THEM.
AND THIS IS WHAT SHE'S DOING.
(native flute and drum)
>> FUNDED BY PRIVATE
FOUNDATIONS, LOCAL SUPPORTERS,
AND A COMMUNITY OUTDOOR
OUTREACH GRANT FROM THE TEXAS
PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT,
BOYD'S NON-PROFIT SHUMLA SCHOOL
HELPS LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN
LEARN ABOUT THE PAST WHILE
PREPARING THEM FOR
THEIR FUTURES.
>> SEE HOW IT SLICES THAT
PIECE OFF?
>> THE MISSION OF THE SHUMLA
SCHOOL IS TO CONNECT PEOPLE OF
ALL AGES WITH THE LAND AND WITH
THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE.
>> OH IT'S COOL!
>> YOU'LL LOAD THE ATL-ATL
AND THEN GO FAR DISTANCE.
>> BUT WE'RE TEACHING SCIENCE
WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK
OF HERITAGE EDUCATION.
>> GOOD TOSS. BEAUTIFUL.
>> SO STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE
NATIVE AMERICAN INSTRUMENTS THAT
WERE USED IN THIS AREA AT THE
SAME TIME THEY LEARN AND STUDY
SOUND WAVES AND PITCH
AND VOLUME.
THEY LEARN ABOUT HOW THE NATIVE
AMERICANS HERE STARTED FIRE.
AT THE SAME TIME AS THEY
LEARN ABOUT POTENTIAL
AND KINETIC ENERGY.
>> MAKING ALL THIS LEARNING FUN
SEEMS TO YIELD RESULTS.
>> OOOOH!
(drumming)
>> SINCE WE BEGAN OUR PROJECT
WE'VE REACHED OVER 6,000
CHILDREN AND 4,000 ADULTS
AND IT'S JUST CONTINUING
TO GROW.
>> YUCCA ROOT IS ALSO CALLED
SOAP ROOT.
>> WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN
STUDENT SCORES ON THEIR SCIENCE
TAKS TEST BY 12 PERCENTAGE
POINTS IN JUST ONE YEAR OF
PROGRAMS AT SHUMLA SCHOOL.
>> AND SOME VERY VALUABLE
KINDS OF LEARNING ARE
DIFFICULT TO MEASURE.
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL IF I DO THIS?
>> (GASP) NO!
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL?
>> HORRIBLE. ANGRY.
>> WHY?
>> BECAUSE THEY WORKED FOR THAT.
>> THEY WORKED REALLY
HARD ON THAT.
IT'S BEEN THERE FOUR THOUSAND
YEARS AND I JUST RUINED IT
IN A FEW SECONDS.
>> THE ONLY WAY THAT WE'RE GOING
TO PRESERVE THESE PAINTINGS IS
THROUGH EDUCATION.
>> ONCE THEY'RE GONE, THAT'S IT,
UNFORTUNATELY, SO I THINK
EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE AND OLD
ALIKE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>> THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK WE
NEED TO PROTECT FOR GENERATIONS,
PRESERVE IT AS BEST AS WE CAN
AND ENJOY IT WHILE WE
STILL HAVE IT.
>> FOR THE STEWARDS
AND SCHOLARS OF ROCK ART,
THERE IS STILL MUCH
TO DISCOVER.
>> THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SECRETS
IN THESE PANELS, BUT WE ARE
BEGINNING TO SOLVE THE
MYSTERIES.
>> AND WHILE LOOKING FOR
ANSWERS, MANY, LIKE CAROLYN
BOYD, HAVE FOUND THEIR CALLING,
HERE IN THE LOWER PECOS.
>> LET'S MOVE ON THIS WAY.
TO SPEND TIME OUT IN THIS
INCREDIBLE ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE
OTHERS TO IT AS WELL, I DON'T
THINK THERE'S ANYTHING I WOULD
WANT TO DO MORE.