Mummified Body Of a Shaman Restored In Papua New Guinea

Researcher and anthropologist Ronald Beckett of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, together with other researchers, traveled from North America to restore a mummified body in Papua New Guinea. Beckett had heard from his friend Ulla Lohmann, a photojournalist, that some villagers were hoping to restore the mummified body of Moimango.

Moimango, was a former village chief, warrior, and shaman who could communicate with the spirits. The villagers believed that restoring the mummified body of Moimango would help them connect to the spiritual world. Moimango has been mummified since the 1950s and part of the process involved smoking the body.

As time passed by, the preserved body started to deteriorate due to natural elements for over several years. Fortunately, they found a way how to restore the body by using materials found in the jungle. Native plants were used during the restoration, like the “Tapa” (bark cloth) used for patching and the sap of the Kumaka tree used as a glue.

The body was brought into a hut where it underwent a smoking process for 30 days, helping preserve the body for several decades.

Mummified bodies are often brought down for celebrations as part of  local cultural practices. Relatives or love ones may consult the mummified remains of their ancestor for advice.

Although a lot of missionaries discourage such practices of the villagers, these mummification practices may be a potential tourism opportunity for the villagers.