|
Mummified
African Pygmies? In Holbrook?
Living in
this region of Arizona it is not uncommon to come across
artifacts from the area’s ancient civilizations on the
desert landscape such as pottery shards, arrow points
and grinding stones. But a discovery several weeks ago
of what appeared to be mummified African pygmies at the
end of a rural street in Holbrook was something
altogether new and remains somewhat of a mystery.
It began
when a local resident went for a walk along Apache Drive
and made the rather bizarre discovery, one that prompted
him to contact the Holbrook Police Department. Sgt. Matt
Molique responded to the call and was just as puzzled at
the man’s findings of four small wooden crates that
appeared to have been discarded along with some other
items at the end of the street.
The crates
appeared old and stuffed with pieces of old newsprint.
Nestled in each one were four of what appeared to be
mummified creatures labeled on the box as “pygmies.”
Each creature measured approximately 2’ tall and had
what appeared to be a grayish brown, tissue-thin skin
covering a skeletal form with tufts of hair and pointed
teeth. One had a demonic look with what appeared to be
animal hooves attached as feet and horns.
The crates
were taken to the police department, but the discomfort
caused by having the disturbing creatures in the
building resulted in their placement in a container
outside the facility until an investigation of how they
came to be lying in a residential street could be
completed.
Sgts.
Molique and David Hall began their investigation by
trying to determine who may have dumped the crates where
they were discovered. No one seemed to have any answers
and the mystery grew, along with the eerie uncertainty
of what the purpose and meaning behind the strange
figures could be.
Realizing
that the creatures were very old (one of the newspapers
used as packaging had a date of the late 1940s) and that
they were definitely man-made due to the exposure of
underlying papier mâché, the two officers began
contacting universities and historical institutions
hoping for an identification, idea or any lead at all
that would solve the mystery.
One of their
contacts was Susan Haskell, a curatorial associate with
Harvard’s Peabody Museum. In response to their query she
wrote, “Your dolls are extraordinary, both because they
are so unusual and because we have one also… No one has
been able to figure out what it is.”
One of their
contacts was Susan Haskell, a curatorial associate with
Harvard’s Peabody Museum. In re-sponse to their query
she wrote, “Your dolls are extraordinary, both because
they are so unusual and because we have one also… No one
has been able to figure out what it is.”
After
further research the answer finally came from Joe
Meehan, curator of the Arizona Historical
Society-Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff. He responded that
the dolls were in fact creations of the late Homer Tate,
who made a variety of “artifacts,” including mummies,
mummies of mermaids, shrunken heads, which were
apparently popular rear view mirror ornaments in the
1950s and ‘60s, and other “freaks of nature.”
|