Ngyelumayi (ŋɨ.ɡe.lu.ma.ji)
"For your many crimes against the people, your life shall be forfeit. Moreover, you shall be subject to ngyelumayi, that your spirit be imprisoned in your carcass and trouble us no more." - excerpt from the condemnation of Mardyak in the Tuktyun Kanik
The disposition of ones body is a very serious matter among the Myteyar people of the Northern Region. They believe that when a person dies, their spirit is trapped within the body for as long as it remains mostly intact, and can only be free to move on once the bones have been scattered. For most deaths, the Myteyar practice funereal cannibalism, where the family of the deceased shares a meal made from the body of their loved one. This is said to free the spirit of the departed from their dead body and bring it into the bodies of the family, becoming a part of the living world in a new way.
If the Myteyar do not wish the spirit of the dead person to become one with the community, they may abandon the body to be eaten by animals, or burn the body to ashes. However, the spirit is then freed to return and seek revenge upon the living, if they are so inclined. Therefore, when the deceased is considered particularly evil or dangerous, they will instead employ the process known as Ngyelumayi, the imprisonment of the soul.
Ngyelumayi is a form of mummification that takes advantage of the cold environment where the Myteyar live. It involves extensive preparation of the corpse to forestall any and all natural processes of decay. This includes soaking the body in a solution designed to render the body inedible to animals and repellent to plants or fungi. The body is then laid out in a cold, dry place where the wind can desiccate the corpse, drawing all fluids from the body and freezing the remaining flesh. Once this process is completed, the body is bound tightly with cords and strips of preserved hide, for it is believed that a trapped soul may eventually gain the power to reanimate its corpse. The hides are marked with sacred symbols intended to prevent the mummy from ever breaking free of its bonds and rising up to afflict the living.
Finally, the mummy is placed into a prepared tomb. This is typically a pit dug into the permafrost, then lined with stones and covered over with large cairns. In these graves, the body will persist unchanged for thousands of years, keeping the wicked soul imprisoned within. The Myteyar are careful to tend the cairns and keep them in good condition, as it is known that if the mummy is ever released from their frozen tomb, they will surely become monsters without equal.
Because Ngyelumayi is very rarely practiced, there are only a few who have been trained in performing it. A few shamans in each generation are instructed in the appropriate materials and methods, and are called upon when needed. Sometimes it can be months or longer before they can attend upon the condemned, during which period executions will be delayed. In cases where the condemned dies before the shaman arrives, the Myteyar will typically bury the body in ice and snow to preserve it until the Ngyelumayi can be performed.
Ngyelumayi is based on natural mummification that sometimes occurs in the frigid climate of the Myteyar Archipelago. The Myteyar have examined the conditions that produced these natural mummies and developed techniques to reliably repeat the process.
I like the idea that mummification is not used to preserve the body for life after death but to protect the survivors from the evil afflictions of the dead. It's nice how you have described the process of mummification.
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it