As the debate rages on about the implications of a 3600 year old Caucasoid mummy in Xinjiang, a team of international scientists has verified that the oldest stash of marijuana was excavated along with a 2,700 year old “light haired, blue-eyed” mummy near Turpan. According to an American pharmacologist (working, of course, with a Canadian firm), the 789 grams of dried cannabis leaves were definitely for “psychoactive purposes,” though the mode of consumption remains a mystery as “there were no pipes or other tools” in the tomb of the Shaman. Many of the scientists were apparently extremely impressed with how well-preserved the leaves were, which sort of explains why they were so quick to look for some paraphernalia. Also a mystery, in my eyes, are the techniques one uses to ascertain eye color from a 2,700 year old dry corpse. Do mummies still have eyes after all that time? Someone enlighten me, please.

For me, this is a delightful little monkey wrench thrown into the intellectual machines tasked with establishing the Chinese-ness of pre-Han dynasty Xinjiang peoples, like Professor Pan of the Central Asia Research Institute. Granted, it’s not that big of a deal, but I still find it hilarious that following the logic Chinese scholars apply to these mummies, smoking a dooby now ranks alongside the compass, printing, paper, and gunpowder as vital contributions by the Chinese to modern civilization. “I hope we can avoid some of the political liabilities of the issue,” says Russo, the American scientist, well aware of the ubiquitous political impediments to international research in Xinjiang after having been forced by the authorities to jump through hoops for 10 months before making any significant research gains. I agree too. Now that the research has arrived at its first major conclusion maybe fenqing and Uyghur nationalists alike can all congregate in Xinjiang and celebrate, together, one of China’s oldest traditions.

Hat tip to commenter Kahraman – thanks for the heads up!