MUMMIFIED BODIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22629, 22 July 1935, Page 9

MUMMIFIED BODIES

DISCOVERY IN NEW GUINEA OVER 1000 YEARS OLD SYDNEY, July 20. The mummified remains of more than 100 human beings were discovered in New Guinea recently. The features thud been .preserved almost perfectly. The discovery was made by Dr J. R. Atcherley, a former administrative officer in New Guinea. Dr Atcherley was on a mining expedition when the discovery was made at Mapoa, 30 miles north-west of Salamaua. An aperture with a diameter of about five feet was seen in the face of a cliff about 40 feet from the ground. A large cavern was, found, and in it a shelved mausoleum was discovered, in which the mummies were seated with their heads resting on their hands. According to Dr Atcherley the mummies had been preserved by petrification caused by the dripping of water from the roofs of the limestone caves. It would be impossible to give the exact ages of the remains, but the general opinion was that the ages varied from between 1000 and 2000 years. The hair, toenails and fingernails could easily be recognised. , INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES METHOD OF PRESERVATION LONDON, July 19. Anthropologists are keen to learn the details of Dr Atcherley's discovery of the mummies. Dr Firth, of New Zealand, secretary of the Anthropological Society, said that New Zealand discoveries some years ago were assumed to indicate the spread of mummification from Egypt, but the value of the evidence was denreciated when it was discovered that the bodies_ were desiccated by natural processes in the limestone caves; therefore it was most interesting to learn of the method of preservation. "Dr Atcherley's discovery, which I think is the first in North New Guinea, is important because other Torres Strait mummies are remarkably similar to those of Egypt. We await a report revealing the funeral practices of those responsible for Dr Atcherley's mummies, because it will shed light on the purpose of the preservation and the philosophy and ideas of life after death. It would be most desirable for an experienced anthropologist like Dr Fortune, at present in the Ramu Plateau of New Guinea-, to investigate Dr Atcherley s find, with a view to deriving the maximum value from the evidence. The Government should be most careful in ascertaining the attitude of natives, because carelessness and indifference elsewhere have led to reprisals hindering further study."