The Smoked Mummies of New Guinea Highlands

The smoked mummies of Papua New Guinea are an amazing example of how people in the past respected and honored their dead. These mummies were found in the Anga region of Morobe Province. The people there had a special way of preserving bodies. After someone died, their body was cleaned and wrapped in tree bark. Then, it was placed above a fire and slowly smoked for many weeks. This careful process dried the body and turned it black. It helped keep the body in good shape for a very long time.

For the Anga people, this was more than just a way to bury someone. They believed that keeping the body helped keep the spirit close. They thought the spirit of the dead could still watch over the family and the village. So, by preserving the body, they were also keeping the memory and presence of the person alive. This made the smoking process very special and meaningful.

The smoked mummies became known to the world in the 1960s when an anthropologist named Ronald Berndt studied them. Since then, people around the world have become interested in this old tradition. The smoked mummies show us how different cultures have their own ways of understanding life, death, and the spirit world. They remind us that even though customs may be different, honoring and remembering loved ones is something all people value.