Indigenous Remains Repatriated By The Netherlands To Caribbean Island Of St. Eustatius - The World News [new] < 2025-2027 >

“We sang the release song,” said Eliza Marten, a Kalinago spiritual leader who traveled from Dominica for the ceremony. “We called their spirits to leave the cold halls of the museum and return to the warm wind of our island. We could feel them listening.”

The remains were taken to the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation, where they will be kept temporarily in a sacred space until archaeologists and Indigenous leaders determine the exact location of their original burial ground. Plans are underway for a reburial ceremony that will combine Catholic rites (introduced by later colonizers) with traditional Kalinago rituals. A permanent memorial monument is also being designed for the island’s national park, the Quill—a dormant volcano that has long been considered a spiritual landmark.

In December 2023, the Netherlands completed the repatriation of the Versteeg collection “We sang the release song,” said Eliza Marten,

The atmosphere on Statia this week has been one of reverence. The handover ceremony took place at the historical Fort Oranje, a site that has witnessed centuries of colonial change. Now, it witnessed a gesture of restoration.

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The remains are believed to belong to members of the Island Carib (Kalinago) and Arawak (Taíno) peoples who inhabited St. Eustatius long before European contact. While the exact circumstances of their exhumation remain under study, historical records suggest they were likely removed from burial caves or shell middens on the island during the late 18th or early 19th century—a period when European naturalists and colonial physicians frequently looted Indigenous burial sites for “scientific” study.

In December 2023, this effort was completed with the return of the remains of three more individuals—an adult male, a woman, and her unborn child—believed to be about a thousand years old. This second repatriation marked the final return of the entire Versteeg collection to Statia, following the earlier return of more than 40 boxes of artifacts. Eustatius Historical Foundation, where they will be kept

: Two professors from Leiden University personally escorted the remains back to the island on a commercial flight on March 10, 2023 .

This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. In December 2023, the Netherlands completed the repatriation