SCHIC recommends one- to two-month delay in Golden Rock reburial

The Statia Cultural Heritage Implementation Committee (SCHIC) has recommended delaying the planned reburial of 69 ancestral remains from Golden Rock Plantation by one to two months. SCHIC said the delay would give the Executive Council time to consult the descendant community on possible DNA testing before the reburial, initially proposed for Friday 13 November 2026.

The remains were excavated in 2021 and have remained above ground since then, according to SCHIC. The committee recommended land behind the Old Church Cemetery, near the Hospitainer, for the reburial after testing found the site suitable.

SCHIC said council members raised the possibility of DNA analysis from samples collected in 2021 during a meeting involving members of the Executive and Island Councils. The committee said any further research should be considered with the descendant community, including an independent ethical review of any proposal.

The committee is awaiting the Executive Council’s response. Its chairperson said SCHIC remains ready to proceed with the reburial on 13 November if the council keeps the original date.