South Africa on Monday reburied the remains of 63 Khoisan people, one of southern Africa's oldest indigenous communities, some of whose bodies were sent to European museums a century ago.
The remains were interred at a historical monument in Steinkopf in the Northern Cape province during a ceremony attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The site was lined with rows of freshly dug graves and wooden coffins, some of which were wrapped in traditional clothing, were placed side by side.
Traditional leaders offered prayers marking the farewell contained in the ritual.
James Mapanga, one of the leaders, said, “This is not just a burial. This is the restoration of dignity long denied.”
Six remains were brought back from the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, while the others were kept in the Iziko Museum in South Africa.
South African authorities said the remains returned from Glasgow were exhumed between 1868 and 1924. The university also returned two plaster face casts and a smoking pipe excavated from a cemetery.
Ramaphosa said, “It is about acknowledging that the past, no matter how painful, must be addressed with honesty and courage to complete the healing process.”
In one of the darkest episodes of colonialism, a Khoisan named Sarah Baartman was taken to Europe by a British doctor in the early 19th century and paraded as a physical freak – the “Hottentot Venus” who people could see and touch for a fee.
The Khoisan have long wanted recognition as the first indigenous people of South Africa.