Statia petition urges Golden Rock reburial by 13 November

A petition from St. Eustatius’ descendant community is calling on the Executive Council to reinter 69 ancestors from the Golden Rock burial ground on or before 13 November 2026. The petitioners say the remains were excavated in 2021 from the 18th-century Golden Rock Plantation burial ground and should not face another delay.

The petition says the Statia Cultural Heritage Implementation Committee, SCHIC, proposed a one- to two-month postponement for further consultation after interest was raised in additional DNA analysis of samples taken from the remains in 2021. Petitioners say reburial can proceed while consultation, research and other unresolved questions continue.

Petitioners also seek an official account of where the remains are held, who has custody of them, their condition, and the samples removed for research. They say the preferred reburial site is land behind Old Church Cemetery near the Statia Hospitainer.