*~Other Embalming Methods~*

The Aleut people, who lived on the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, mummified their dead by removing the organs and stuffing the cavity with dry grass.

Next, they laid the body in a stream, where the running water dissolved the fat and washed it away, leaving only muscle and skin. The body was then tied in a squatting position and dried in the open air.

Once it was dry, the Mummy was wrapped in several layers of waterproof leather and woven clothing and placed in a warm cave, either hanging from the ceiling or lying on a platform to keep it off the damp floor. In one Aleutian cave, archaeologists found more than 50 Mummies dating back 250 years.

In 1972, hunters found some of the best ever naturally-preserved human bodies at a remarkable abandoned settlement called Qilakitsoq, in Greenland. The Greenland Mummies who died about 500 years ago, consisted of a six-month old baby, a four year old boy, and six women of various ages.

Protected by a rock that overhung a shallow cave, the bodies were naturally mummified by the sub-zero temperatures and dry, dehydrating winds. Accompanying the eight bodies were seventy-eight items of clothing, most made out of seal skin.

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