First Peoples want dignity for ancestors’ remains

Marlene Augustine

President of the Santa Rosa First Peoples, Arima, Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez, is once again pleading with Government to respect their call for a proper burial ceremony and a monument erected for the bones of their ancestors found on the construction site of the Red House.

Yesterday, during a spiritual ceremony in front of the Red House in Port-of-Spain, Bharath-Hernandez said Government must treat the remains of the First Peoples with respect and dignity.

He said if their calls, which were made in writing and verbal submissions, were not acceded to, all the effort of the ceremony would be in vain.

“How they are going to do that, is by honouring the request of the First Peoples that the remains of the ancestors should be re-buried on the site with the appropriate ceremony. They should cater for a space in the renovated building for the non-human artifacts of the remains of the First Peoples to be displayed and erected on this site in the process of its renovation. They must erect a monument in perpetual memory of the First Peoples passed, those present, and those yet to come.”

Bharath-Hernandez said it is disrespectful for the Government to keep the bones in a container and there should be consultation to say what was taking place.

“Under the last government we have submitted in writing those requests because there was a Cabinet committee dealing with the Red House that was cheered by the then Speaker Mr Wayne Mark and we had official response. With the present Government we have made the same submission and we are hoping since they saw it fit to give us national recognition they will look again at the request and see how best they can accommodate our request.”

He said everyone wants peace and stability for the country and therefore it was incumbent and necessary for the authorities to put it in writing how they were going to treat with the remains.

Bharath-Hernandez said although they understand the state of the economy, he believed Government could have done more to enhance their celebration.

However, Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian said they were hoping all the remains could be transferred to the First Peoples village on Blanchisseuse Road, Arima.

“The First Peoples village is in Arima, the 25 acres of land the Government gave them. We are hoping, one day, we can remove the ancestral bones to their ancestral place and space because Arima is a spiritual home for them.”

Meanwhile, Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said, “It is not simply thrown in a corner. They are being kept in an appropriate container. It is very clear this is a very scared place for the First Peoples so more efforts are being made by the committee to ensure that the demands that are made by the First Peoples are considered and we can come to some middle ground as to how we recgonise this as a burial place for the First Peoples.”

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