St. Eustatius plans reburial for 69 Afrikan ancestors on 13 November
St. Eustatius organisers plan to rebury the remains of 69 Afrikan ancestors in 66 caskets on Friday 13 November, with a public procession.
The Statia Cultural Heritage Implementation Committee and the St. Eustatius Afrikan Burial Ground Alliance plan to rebury the remains of 69 Afrikan ancestors on Friday 13 November in St. Eustatius. The organisers said the remains will be placed in 66 caskets, with some ancestors sharing a casket.
The programme is scheduled to begin at 6am AST with the ceremonial transfer of the caskets to decorated vehicles. A vehicle procession is due to leave at 6:35am, followed by a walking procession scheduled for 7:30am. The organisers said members of the public may await the procession at Golden Rock Plantation on Airport Road for a reflection scheduled from 6:55am to 7am.
The main reburial ceremony is scheduled from 8:55am to noon. It is to include the planting of two July trees, reflections by Kenneth Cuvalay and Xiomara Balentina, and ancestral storytelling by Papa Umpo. Organisers said the schedule may change.
People attending are asked to wear white and red, follow stewards' instructions and respect sacred or restricted areas, according to the organising partners.
File photo: GIS Statia / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · cropped, SXM Today mark added
