In 1972, two hunters Hans and Jokum Grønvold accidentally found the family’s mummy in a shallow cave under a cliff in the abandoned area of Qilakitsoq, located on the Nuussuaq peninsula near Uummannaq, Greenland. These are the bodies of 3 sisters, along with 3 daughters and 2 boys, of which the ages of the two boys are 6 months and 4 years old respectively. All six female mummies have tattoos on their foreheads and chins.
The boy’s eyebrows and hair are still the same as when he was alive.The mummies are extremely well preserved, with almost all of their skin, hair, eyebrows and nails intact, and their bodies are wrapped in fur clothes. Archaeologists believe the family died around 1475 AD. Extremely low temperatures in this area have caused their bodies to be accidentally “mummified” for many years.
In Inuit culture, if a mother dies, her child must be buried with her, regardless of whether the child is alive or not. They believe that only by doing so can the whole family have a peaceful life in the afterlife.
The woman’s body is not damaged much.
The baby’s body was wrapped in a thick fur coat.When the research team arrived, they found the mummies placed on top of each other, wearing fur coats to keep them warm. The newborn boy lies neatly in a shirt, revealing only his face, hands and some dark brown hair. The people of the tribe decided to bury the newborn baby with its mother, because without that caring hand, sooner or later they would starve to death.
All three women were under 50 years old and died from causes such as kidney stones, constipation and poor health. The daughters were between 18 and 30 years old. The 4-year-old boy also showed signs of Down syndrome, which is most likely the reason why residents buried him alive.
The woman’s hand with almost intact skin and nails.This family was buried with 78 items of clothing made from animal skins, such as reindeer and seal. Currently, 4 of the 8 mummies above are on display at the National Museum of Greenland in Nuuk.
