Greenland Mummies

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-While poking around a fjord in Greenland, Hans and Jokum Gronvold discovered a grave site that contained mummified human corpses. It wasn't until five years later that scientists realized the importance of this find. These 500-year-old remains provided them with real evidence of Inuit life long ago. Buell examines the physical and forensic evidence to determine how the Inuits lived, what they ate and wore, and what may have caused their deaths. She relates fascinating details about how these people hunted with harpoons, constructed igloos and sod huts, battled frostbite, and gave themselves tattoos with a needle and thread. Full-color photographs help readers visualize unfamiliar turf such as the Greenland fjords, the tundra in bloom, as well as found artifacts. As amazing as it is that scientists can now tell what people ate 500 years ago, equally remarkable are the methods developed by these ingenious people for surviving in such a cold climate with such limited resources. Useful to students studying Inuit life and sure to interest mummy enthusiasts.-Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library