ABSTRACT
A mummy is a human or animal body in which soft tissue, such as skin, muscle, fat, ligaments, or organs, are preserved. There is some debate within the discipline of mummy studies as to whether a skeleton with only hair remaining should be considered a mummy, but many researchers also include those bodies in the definition. In order for decomposition to occur, both water and oxygen are necessary, when either element is missing, parts of a body may be preserved. Some exceptional mummies have been preserved through a combination of both natural and artificial methods. There are usually two main reasons for mummification as part of the burial ritual: either to preserve the body for an afterlife, or to ensure that the corporeal remains are available to the family or community of the deceased after death. The Anga of Koke Village in Papua New Guinea have dried and smoked the bodies of the distinguished dead for many years.
