Case file · Folklore / legend
The Princess of Ukok
Archaeologist Natalia Polosmak excavated a tattooed Pazyryk woman preserved in ice on the Ukok plateau; many Altaians saw her removal as a desecration that would bring disaster.
1993 CE · 49.30, 87.56 · status: legend
The account
Altaians call her Ochi-Bala or the 'Altai princess', ancestor and guardian of their land. Her removal to Novosibirsk became a symbol of Altaian identity and grievance.
The sceptical view
The curse belief is a cultural response; the burial dates to around the 5th century BCE.