The 2003 earthquake, which damaged hundreds of houses in the region, was widely attributed in the Altai community to the ongoing disturbance caused by keeping the Ice Maiden’s body away from her homeland.

This connection — between the removal of ancestral remains and subsequent community misfortune — is a form of reasoning deeply rooted in the spiritual worldview of many indigenous cultures and not easily dismissed as mere superstition.

Whether or not one accepts the specific causal claim, the depth of the Altai community’s attachment to the Ice Maiden, and their sense of violation at her removal, is real and deserves serious engagement.

After years of negotiation between the Altai Republic authorities, the scientific institutions that had custody of the body, and community representatives, an agreement was reached for the Ice Maiden’s return.