From European museums to home soil: 63 Khoisan remains finally reburied

Johannesburg – South Africa on Monday reburied the remains of 63 Khoisan people, among southern Africa’s oldest indigenous communities, some of whose bodies were shipped to European museums over a century ago.

The remains were laid to rest at a historic monument in Steinkopf, in the Northern Cape province, during a ceremony attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Rows of freshly dug graves lined the site as the wooden coffins, some draped in traditional clothing, were laid side by side.

Traditional leaders offered prayers, marking a farewell rooted in ritual.

[WATCH] Khoi and San leaders perform traditional rituals before the reburial of 63 ancestral remains repatriated from European museums. They were illegally dug from their graves, then traded and/or donated to newly established museums and universities across Europe. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/pfDNs2Q1CW

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 23, 2026

“This is not merely a burial. It is a restoration of dignity long denied,” one of the leaders, James Mapanga, said.

Six of the remains were repatriated from the Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, while the others had been held at South Africa’s Iziko Museums.

These remains are a small group of thousands of illegally removed remains of indigenous people during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. #GovZAUpdates #ANationThatWorksForAll pic.twitter.com/4prf9G6Qpt

— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) March 23, 2026

South African authorities said the remains returned from Glasgow were exhumed from graves between 1868 and 1924.

The university also returned two plaster face casts and a smoking pipe excavated from a burial ground.

“It is about acknowledging that the past, no matter how painful, must be addressed with honesty and courage to complete the healing process,” Ramaphosa said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa officiates reburial ceremony of Khoi & San ancestral human remains.

Read more: https://t.co/lntxiUdsW0 #GovZAUpdates #ANationThatWorksForAll pic.twitter.com/CO599xwlNv

— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) March 23, 2026

In one of colonialism’s darkest episodes, a Khoisan named Sarah Baartman was taken to Europe in the early 19th century by a British doctor and paraded as an anatomical freak – the “Hottentot Venus,” who people could see and touch for a fee.

The Khoisan have long seeking recognition as South Africa’s first indigenous people.