Aruba: Skeleton Found by Tourists was Remains of Shipwrecked Sailor from 1886 … That was Fast

They certainly do things quick in Aruba when the news is beneficial … What ever happened to island time?

Thanks to good arrangements with the police, the archaeologists were there fast.  Due to their forensic knowledge network, archaeologists are always called when bones are found in Aruba.

REALLY?

Skeletal remains found by tourists in Aruba a couple of months ago near Boc’i Brik about two months ago were determined to be that of those belonging to shipwrecked sailors of the German ship ‘Hero’ that was lost in a hurricane in 1886. It certainly was a rather quick and public determination as to the skeletal remains as compared to many items of evidence that have been uncovered during the investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

It leaves one to wonder that what happened to the skeletal remains and what was ever determined to evidence uncovered during the investigation. One minute a story is published that bones are found, the next minute they are off to the Netherlands for investigation and then nothing ever said. Then there are other bones found that no one has any real scientific answer to.

Its amazing what they uncover 121 years later in Aruba. At this rate we will be reading a story in 2126 that another set of bones were located in Aruba as well.

Skeleton ‘Boc’i Brik’ is German shipwrecked sailor

One of the archaeologists at work during the research on the skeleton of Boc’i Brik.

ORANJESTAD – Scientists of the Archeological Museum Aruba (MAA) concluded that the skeleton parts that tourists found near Boc’i BrikArchaeological (left of the small Natural Bridge near Puente) two months ago are the remains of one of the shipwrecked sailors of the German ship Hero that wrecked in 1886.  

The museum says that this conclusion must clear up all speculations that went around after the bones were discovered.  Thanks to good arrangements with the police, the archaeologists were there fast.  Due to their forensic knowledge network, archaeologists are always called when bones are found in Aruba.  They couldn’t beat the desecrators of graves though.  The scull and jaw were missing and some of the bones were not right qua ‘anatomic context’.  The archaeologists do not think that only nature was to be blamed for this.  Despite the big cultural-historic value, it seems that people have opened the tomb. 

It now appears that these people also knew that there were more persons on board of the Hero that were buried here after they were washed ashore.  All the tombstones were removed and sold. 

“Can you imagine how many people in Aruba have their own private archaeological collection”, says MAA-archaeologist Raymundo Dijkhoff that hates the fact that the authorities do not do anything against this.   “Even though the Malta-treaty can offer protection, and that the Netherlands has ratified it, there is still no good legislation to act against these practices.”

Educational museum employee Marguerita Wever said that people do not always realize that they are damaging their cultural heritage.  “They often leave initials behind or they use the old bones in voodoo rituals.  The biggest chance on damage is when something is discovered on private territories, when a house is being built for example.  A lot depends on the goodwill of the owners.  The owner of the Natural Bridge and surroundings was involved in these sailor tombs.

BOC’I BRIK

The name of the area where the bones were found, Boc’i Brik, was soon an indication of the origin.  All the stories about the name turned out to have one thing in common: an extremely powerful hurricane on October 17th, 1886 that caused a ship of the type schooner-brik to wreck offshore; hence the name Boc’i Brik.  There was just one survival, all the others drowned and washed ashore near Puente.

The research-team rediscovered the journal of a local official from that time, David C. Gaërste, which stated that the huge incident took place at the north-coast of this island, where the North-German Schooner brik Hero that left from Maracaibo with destination Europe, was totally lost.  Only the steersman (…) was rescued.