Coloring with Shumla
The goal of our Coloring with Shumla coloring page series is to introduce a bit of what we know about the motifs and figures found in the rock art murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.
A fun coloring project to share with kids of all ages!
Halo Shelter
This coloring page is of an iconic figure from Halo Shelter, named for its many figures painted with the same halo-style headdress. Can you imagine how much planning must have gone into painting these murals one color at a time?
Rattlesnake Shelter (fig. A002)
This figure is another anthropomorph from Rattlesnake Shelter. You’ll notice that it also has zoomorphic, or animal-like attributes, such as the snouted head, perked ears, and wings. Figures that have both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic qualities are sometimes described as “transmorphic” in that they may be transforming.
Rattlesnake Shelter (fig. A003)
This anthropomorphic figure is from Rattlesnake Shelter which is considered a “type site” for Pecos River style rock art and has received extensive archaeological attention. This rockshelter wall, which is owned and managed by Texas Tech University, contains a 33-meter long panel of Pecos River style rock art, dense with well-preserved imagery.
Rattlesnake Shelter (figs. E004 & E005)
Shumla classifies these two figures as enigmatic meaning they do not have any anthropomorphic or zoomorphic attributes such as a head, arms, feet, or a tail and we can’t determine at this time what they may represent. There are two separate figures depicted in this coloring page, the figure with a “nocked” shape at the top (E004) and the serpentine arch with three “crenelations” at the top (E005). We think they are associated with one another as part of a broader composition.
Rattlesnake Shelter (fig. A001)
This figure, also from Rattlesnake Shelter, has been classifed by Shumla as an anthropomorph based on attributes such as the full central body, arms, legs with digits, and round head. Measuring at about 150 cm in height by about 34 cm in width, this figure is adorned with a headdress that we classify as “rabbit ears”. We don’t think these are actually denoting real rabbit ears, that’s just what we call this type of headdress for classification and comparison purposes.