ST. EUSTATIUS--The Statia Cultural Heritage Implementation Committee (SCHIC) has recommended postponing the planned reburial of 69 Golden Rock ancestral remains by one to two months to allow the Executive Council additional time to consult the descendant community on possible DNA testing.
The remains, excavated in 2021 from the 18th-century Golden Rock Plantation, have remained above ground since the excavation. SCHIC said it remains committed to ensuring that the ancestors are reburied with dignity and respect, and in keeping with the wishes of the descendant community.
SCHIC was established in 2022 to implement recommendations of the Statia Heritage Research Commission, which was formed after protests by Statians at home and abroad over the handling of the remains without community consent led to a halt in excavations. Since then, the committee has been engaging with the descendant community on the reburial and memorialization process.
After several years of assessing possible locations, SCHIC recommended an area behind the Old Church Cemetery, near the Hospitainer, as the most suitable site for reburial. Recent testing confirmed that the site is appropriate, and the committee subsequently communicated that finding to the Executive Council.
The committee had initially recommended November 13, 2026, as the reburial date, citing concern that the remains have been above ground since 2021 and should be returned to rest as soon as possible.
However, during a recent meeting involving SCHIC and members of the Executive and Island Councils, some council members expressed interest in conducting DNA analysis using samples collected from the ancestral remains in 2021. SCHIC raised concern about introducing the proposal only two months before the planned reburial, particularly after years of consultation with community members who have repeatedly expressed a desire for a timely reburial.
Following discussion, SCHIC proposed delaying the reburial by one to two months to give the Executive Council sufficient time to properly consult with the descendant community.
Should the Executive Council decide to proceed with DNA testing, SCHIC has recommended that the process follow guidance it obtained from Peggy King-Jorde, a subject expert and consultant, former SCHIC member and former director of the New York African Burial Ground Memorialization Project.
That guidance calls for the descendant community to remain at the center of any future research discussions. It includes providing the community with findings from the 2021 excavation, ensuring transparency around proposed research, submitting any research proposal to independent ethical review, and respecting the descendant community’s authority to approve or reject further research.
SCHIC is now awaiting feedback from the Executive Council. The committee’s chairperson said members remain prepared to proceed with the reburial on November 13 if the Executive Council determines that the original date should stand.
At the same time, the committee stressed that community participation, including the consent of the descendant community, has guided its work throughout the process.
File photo of the Community Archaeology event held in June 2026, to test the grounds for the reburial. Dr. Nicholas Budsberg was the the Archaeologist to guided the process.
