Angerlartunnguit – The Reborn: Research, Reunification, and Restoration of the Uunartoq Thule Inuit. Work package 3.1 – From Caves to Curation: Preservation and Conservation at Uunartoq

Between 1929-1934, a collection of Thule Inuit mummified human remains and associated burial gifts was removed from caves near Qerrortuut on Uunartoq island, South Greenland. These remains—the “Uunartoq Collection” have since remained in the United States and Denmark. In 2019, Greenland National Museum & Archives began a repatriation process to reunify the Uunartoq Collection. The A3R is a large interdisciplinary project that aims to explore, research, and narrate the life, death, and legacy of the unique collection of Thule Inuit human remains and funerary objects from Uunartoq.
The work package WP 3.1 studies post-burial, degradational processes affecting the Uunartoq Thule Inuit from the time of their burial to their curation, conservation, and reunification in 2024. Preservation conditions are investigated through onsite climate monitoring at Qerrortuut and a comparative site 2025-27, as well as by simultaneous model and laboratory experiments. The state of preservation and conservation treatment is examined through chemical analysis, and combination of CT scans and 3D photogrammetry to visualize and monitor internal and exterior aspects of the mummies