Natasha, Sherri and I went to check out the Egyptian mummies at the Museum of Civilization last weekend. It was a really great exhibit – lots of interesting artifacts and well presented displays. I really liked the displays of early glasswork and faience – they made some really incredible crafts in a very short period after the discovery of glassmaking. They had some super sassy egyptian outfits, too – meshy beaded dresses and gold scarab beetle necklaces, I think Retrogyptian is the next big fashion trend!

The mummies themselves were as disturbing as I expected. They had a few interesting animal mummies (including a kitten… just waiting for it’s horror movie role) and I think 5 humans, mostly still wrapped and preserved in their sarcophagi except for one – “Our Lady of Hudson’s Bay”, which had been unwrapped by someone in their private collection (seriously? Some people have screwed up hobbies!), laid out on a Hudson’s Bay blanket and resold… the lips, teeth and eyes always give me the chills. She was in bad shape in the middle, too – completely decomposed between the ribs and hips. Not bad for 3000 years of laying in a tomb, though.

No photos allowed… so here’s my quick doodle. I think I captured the scary facial expression. Ghastly! And no – no matter what Natasha tells you, I didn’t have nightmares that night! (Okay, maybe one very small nightmare.)

Our Lady of Hudson’s Bay