A recent provenance study has revealed that the skeletal remains known as I Y-001, long misidentified as an “Incan mummy,” actually belonged to an adult Aymara man. The remains form a single individual and include a skull exhibiting signs of artificial elongation and trepanation. Originally plundered from the canton of Ayjach in the now province of Los Andes, these were subsequently given to the Museum of Cantonal Archaeology and History of Lausanne in Switzerland by Louis Kuffré in 1876.
The research underscores the need for historically accurate context for human remains, especially those removed during the colonial era. That means the skull of Y-001 is at least 350 years old. It was the only one of a batch of 150 skulls sent to the museum among much additional documentation including 15 examples of trepanation. Skull binding, a cultural practice found on the remains of I Y-001, was outlawed by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo from 1572 through 1575. This ban draws attention to the historic cultural practices of body modification of the Aymara people.
The Discovery of I Y-001
We found the bones of I Y-001 within an Early American metropolis. This site turned out to be a “chullpa,” a burial tower of the highly sophisticated Aymara civilization. This unexpected discovery, based on the unpublished burial data, provides a window into Aymara burial practices. It even evokes the sociocultural practices of how death and the afterlife has been viewed throughout history. What this study shows is the danger in misrepresenting artifacts and human remains. This mischaracterization misconception just comes from not knowing what they culturally important to them.
The ongoing misidentification of I Y-001 as an Incan mummy raises significant questions around reparative cultural heritage. It raises broader ethical questions about the treatment of looted artifacts. Experts emphasize that understanding these remains requires a nuanced approach that takes into account the cultural backgrounds they originate from.
“My perspective on what is ‘respectful’ towards human remains might be totally different from that of another culture / other epoch.” – Dr. Claudine Abegg
Ethical Considerations in Handling Remains
All of these considerations—the scientific, the cultural, the individual—make the management of human remains in museum collections an intensely complex ethical question. Contemporary cartographers are taking another look at how things used to be done. They fail to navigate the tension between their own perspectives and those of the cultures that created these artifacts. Sandee Oster, an anthropologist who took part in the study, shared her frustrations over how to ethically treat such remains.
“As a result, considering how to ethically manage these remains requires that I balance my own (Western, European, atheist) perspective with the potential perspective of others who do not share my perspective.” – Sandee Oster
This is an ethical dilemma made more complex by the inconsistent laws surrounding repatriation in countries around the world. Dr. Claudine Abegg wants people to know that conversations around human remains are tricky. They need thoughtful maneuvering of regulatory infrastructures that differ immensely from one country to the next.
“I think one of the challenges when discussing human remains that arrived in Western European museum collections from other parts of the world is the way laws are set up in different countries—each has their own process, legal bases, procedures, etc. about what can be repatriated and under what circumstances.” – Dr. Claudine Abegg
The Significance of Trepanation
Studying I Y-001’s skull even more sheds light on medical practices of these advanced medical civilizations. Trepanation, one of the oldest known surgical procedures, involves drilling or scraping a hole into the skull. Together, this medical evidence demonstrates that the man experienced considerable and continuous medical intervention in his lifetime. Despite his historical fame, evidence indicates that the trepanation completed on I Y-001 was an incomplete trepanation.
As Dr. Abegg notes, there is a lot of nuance that goes into interpreting these kinds of medical procedures. She notes that various factors influence the understanding of trepanation’s significance, including the skill level of practitioners and the cultural contexts surrounding such surgeries.
“There are just too many parameters: the skill of the person performing the trepanation, the pain endured, the initial reason for undertaking the procedure … ” – Dr. Claudine Abegg
Y-001’s skull contained distinct evidence of a tooth abscess. This Pagnographic finding indicates that he probably faced major health issues all his adult life. These results add to the growing body of work that seeks to paint a fuller picture of the Aymara people’s daily life and health challenges.