The heart and the kidneys were most often left
inside the body because of the difficulty of remov-
ing them.
Next, the priests began the process of salting the
body by placing it in natron for about 35 days. The
priests often used henna or ochre to dye the limbs
of the corpse after the application of the natron.
Thus, the male corpse appeared red and the female
corpse yellow after this process. One can see this
pattern reflected in some of the paintings on the
walls of the temples and tombs. They would then
pack the chest and abdomen with pieces of mater-
ial provided by the family of the dead person.
Relatives might bring their special fabrics to be
placed inside the corpse for the journey to eternity.
It was important that the priests soak the wads of
material in various gums, herbs, and unguents so
that the body could be molded and shaped to its
original form. Then the opening in the left side of
the cadaver was covered with a plaque that was
protected by the Four Sons of Heru.
Once the officiating priest was satisfied that the
body had been properly restored, cleaned, and
purified, and all of the rituals had been strictly
observed, the body was wrapped in linen bandages.
This process had to be carried out according to the
ancient codes and strict regulations handed down
by generations of Africans. There were several
stages to this process. It was neither easy nor quick.
In the first instance, it was necessary that the entire
body be wrapped with sheets of linen. Each individ-
ual part of the body had to be wrapped separately,
including the phallus, the fingers, and the head.
Subsequently, a large piece of fabric, like a shroud,
was placed around the entire body. The entire
abdomen was bandaged and neatly wrapped
according to the discipline of the priestly practice.
If a ritual was missed or a step violated, the priests
would have to start from the point of the infraction
and start over in the process.
It did not make any difference whether the
body was that of a king or a private individual;
the same process had to be carried out. It is
believed that the only difference between the
mummification of the kings and others had to do
with the value of the amulets that were placed in
the wrappings surrounding the body. At a certain
period, especially around the New Kingdom, the
practice began of including certain texts from the
Book of the Coming Forth by Day, and Going
Forth by Nightin the wrapping fabrics. This text
was inserted between the legs of the mummy or on
the chest. Additionally, jewels were sprinkled on
the linen as well.
After the priests had assured themselves that
the mummy was ready for the eternal journey,
they would outfit the face of the mummy with a
mask. Sometimes this mask, depending on the
rank of the person, was made out of gold and
lapis lazuli; at other times, it might be made out of
cartonnage. Furthermore, it was not unusual to
see mummies that had the entire body covered
with a sort of board covering.
The mummy was then placed in a coffin, a kind of
rectangular box, as the house of the deceased, deco-
rated with texts, a façade of a palace, and a false door.
Coffins were usually decorated with texts, offering
sayings, and libation texts. Once the coffin, eventu-
ally designed according to the shape of the mummy,
was placed inside of the Neb Ankh, usually made out
of stone or carved out of rock, the deceased, properly
mummified, was on the way to eternity.Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoReincarnationFurther Readings
Erman, A. (1971).Life in Ancient Egypt. New York:
Dover.
Grimal, N. (1992).A History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford,
UK: Blackwell.
Kamil, J. (1988).The Ancient Egyptians. Cairo, Egypt:
American University.MUNTU
SeeBUMUNTU
MUSIC
Music is a central part of the lifestyle in most tra-
ditional African cultures. Beginning with ancient
African civilizations, music was considered sacred.
The sacredness of music remains a key concept in434 Music