For nearly 130 years, the Michigan State University Museum housed the mummified remains of an 8-year-old girl. But as Reginald Hardwick reports; the girl is now home in South America.
In the late 1800’s, a Flint native who served in the Foreign Service gifted the mummy of an Incan girl to the MSU museum.
“It’s a little mysterious how exactly he acquired Nusta, from a tower a little bit south of La Paz.” :07 bite 1
Mark Auslander is the MSU Museum director. He prefers to call the girl Nusta... an indigenous name for princess.
Experts believe Nusta may have lived 500 years ago.
She was placed in a tomb wearing a dress made from llama or Alpaca fur.
Auslander said Nusta was part of the exhibition for many years.
“She shows up in newspapers and so forth and then in the early 1970’s she’s taken off display and essentially is stored and then there was an increasing sense at the museum the ethical time had come to repatriate her.” :13 bite 3
Two weeks ago, Nusta arrived at the National Archaeology Museum in Bolivia.
Experts hope they can learn more about this young girl’s place in the world several centuries ago.