Indigenous Remains Repatriated By The Netherlands To Caribbean Island Of St. Eustatius - The World News -

The airport excavation site, known as Golden Rock , is a significant late Saladoid settlement. However, recent excavations in 2021 at the same location led to an outcry due to practices that the local community deemed disrespectful, eventually leading to a halt in those works.

“This is not merely a handover of bones. It is the return of souls,” said Ms. Gracita Elizabeth, a cultural heritage adviser to the island’s public entity. “For decades, our ancestors sat in foreign storage boxes, labeled as objects. Today, they come home as family.” The airport excavation site, known as Golden Rock

– In a historic act of redress, the Dutch government has formally repatriated the remains of three Indigenous individuals to the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, ending a centuries-long separation that began during the colonial era. It is the return of souls,” said Ms

For generations, Statian identity was framed primarily around African heritage—the legacy of enslaved people who worked sugar and cotton plantations. But the repatriation has opened a new chapter, one that honors the island’s first peoples. “We are not just descendants of the enslaved,” van Putten explained. “We are also descendants of the free. The Kalinago and Taíno were never slaves. They were warriors, farmers, and navigators. Their blood runs in us too.” Today, they come home as family