The peculiar custom of smoking corpses and mummies in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is an island country located in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It mainly covers the eastern half of New Guinea Island, borders Indonesia's Papua Province to the west, and faces Australia and the Solomon Islands across the sea in the south and east. The Highlands of New Guinea were settled in 8000 BC. In 1511, Portugal discovered the island of New Guinea. Until the early 19th century, little was known about the island. Therefore, the primitive tribes living in Papua New Guinea still have many secrets that have not been revealed.

Koke Village is located around a cliff. The mummies in Koke Village are all made by people

In fact, people in Koke Village often make such mummies from their ancestors, and still make them by hand. Although Western missionaries once suspended the making of mummies after entering, people here still hope to be mummified after their death, because this is the custom of the people in Koke Village.

Some information can still be obtained about the method of making mummies. For example, the deceased would be tied to a chair made of wooden sticks and smoked. A few days later, the epidermis would begin to turn black and carbonized. The deceased's son and relatives would slowly remove the epidermis to completely remove the moisture from the skin, then apply the stems and leaves of plants picked in the jungle to the body, and use lime based materials to repair and support the body, such as the jaw and head. Heating the tree sap can also achieve a similar purpose. Finally covered with ochre clay.

A few days later, the skin began to turn black and carbonized, and the skin of the deceased's son and relatives slowly peeled off. After this process is completed, the body will continue to be smoked for more than a month. After being completely dehydrated, it will become a dried corpse. Before offering, smoke will be used to use it as a preservative to prevent insects from laying eggs in the body. Finally, it was enshrined on the hillside and around the house. The people of Koke village believe that this method can preserve the bodies and protect their descendants.