Mummy from Papua

Dani tribe in Baliem valley.

Mummies are identical to Egypt. Preservation of bodies aims to honorable someone who has died. Who will mummify? They are kings and war leaders. The bodies will be preserved by balsams and then wrapped using a shroud.

In Indonesia, there are currently 2 regions that still use the mummification tradition. Toraja (central Celebes) and Papua are still carrying out rituals for preserving bodies. In Toraja, preserving bodies uses balsam and traditional herbs. In Papua the preservation of corpses uses fumigation.

In Papua, the ritual of mummification of bodies is still ongoing, but not all regions. The bodies made into mummies were kings or tribal chiefs and warlords. The process of preserving the body using fumigation techniques.

The process of fumigating bodies in Papua begins with fumigation for 200 days. The bodies will be put on the fire, then it will dry out due to heat and smoke. The finished mummy will then be stored in a house called Pilamo.

Wim Motok Mabel a mummy in Kurulu-Papua.

The mummy that can now be seen by tourists is Wim Motok Mabel. This mummy is in Kurulu. To get there you can use a vehicle with a travel time of 30 minutes from Wamena. Wamena is one of the districts in Papua Province. From Jayapura to Wamena by airplane for 1 hour flight.

Wim Motok Mabel is a warlord who has been mummified for 278 years. Every year mummy will be given a necklace, so that it will be a marker in calculating the age of the mummy.

To see mummies, tourists will usually be charged Rp. 300,000.00. The tribal chiefs will issue mummies and tourists can take pictures and look closely. Wim Motok Mabel is the only mummy that has been seen by tourists.