Mummy of Jiwika in Wamena City, Papua Province
In Wamena of Papua Province, tourists may find two famous mummies. The first one is called Aikima Mummy while another is Mummy of Jiwika. In terms of popularity, the second one is considered better, though. It is located in Jiwika Village (as the name suggests) and belongs to Kurulu Sub-District. Many things make it popular among tourists! These include the unique way of preservation, history, and appearance. In fact, some foreigners often visit the village in order to watch and take photos of the mummy directly. They are not even afraid to get close to it!
About Mummy of Jiwika
In terms of appearance, the Mummy of Jiwika looks creepy. It looks like a burnt person, moreover. The mummy has the sitting pose and his mouth opens in a terrifying way. The locals only put out the mummy from its Honai by the request of the tourists, though. Not to mention everyone should pay some money to be able to witness it. To get information regarding the preservation procedure and history of the mummy, tourists need also to hire a local guide later.
More Things to Know
The first allure that makes Mummy of Jiwika popular is definitely the preservation method. The locals didn’t use the same method as that of the Eygpt. Instead, they applied pig oil and fumigation to the corpse. This explains why the mummy appears pure black. The disappointment is tourists won’t be able to witness the procession, as villagers don’t do it anymore. However, they can learn how it is done from the elders. What they need is a good communication skill to talk to the locals.
A keeper takes care of the mummy, which is called Yakobus. Thus, tourists can gather more information from him during the visit later. So, who is the mummy? It is said he was an important person who fought bravely for the sake of the tribe back then. Before dying, he gave a will to villagers to preserve his body. The dead body was inserted in a Honai and preserved using a traditional way as mentioned above.
The keeper may take out the mummy from Honai once tourists pay the fee. It costs nothing to take photos of it later, so don’t worry. The prohibition is that tourists are not allowed to touch the mummy. It is said a curse may appear to those who commit the offense! It is better to be safe than sorry, no? Also, here is the tip. Tourists should visit the village during the special ceremony when the locals put an extra necklace to the mummy. It is done once a year, actually.
Nearby Attractions
- Pagima Traditional Village
- Pasir Putih Aikima
- Susu Mountain
How to Get There
For those coming from Jayapura City, they can simply take an airplane at Sentani Airport to Wamena Airport. This flight takes approximately 30 minutes. It can be longer if tourists come from Soekarno – Hatta International Airport at Jakarta City, though. For the information, the flight may take around 10 hours and 15 minutes. Once they arrive at Wamena City, the last destination is none other than Jiwika Village at Kuluru Sub-District. This trip takes around 33 minutes, as the distance is 18.4 km. The best route to take is Pikhe Street, actually.
Where to Stay
- The Baliem Valley Resort
