![]() The destruction of these temples deteriorated already bad relations between the colonists and Indigenous peoples. ![]() “We beat the savages out of the island, burned their houses, ransacked their temples, took down the corpses of their dead kings from their tombs and carried away their pearls, copper and bracelets which they do decorate their kings funerals,” wrote Virginia Colony governor George Percy in his account of early Jamestown. These temples held the preserved bodies of Indigenous leaders, marking lines of succession and kinship, and were constantly tended by Powhatan priests. During the first Anglo-Powhatan War, English colonists specifically targeted Powhatan temple sites for burning and looting. Historian Christopher Heaney argues the English modeled their practice of grave-robbing on the Spanish, seeking a “Peru of their own” to colonize and convert to Christianity.Īt Jamestown, English colonists opened graves first as intelligence gathering and then later as erasure of local history. Archeologists say this is why they see vertebrae reassembled into spines using posts or rods in colonization-era grave sites.Įnglish settlers also opened and destroyed Indigenous graves from their earliest settlements. The practice of looting graves was so pervasive that Indigenous peoples of Peru are thought to have returned to raided gravesites to reassemble and rebury their ancestors, according to historians. The Penn Museum holds in its collection gold objects taken from graves in 1519 in Panama after conquistadors failed to find as much gold as they wanted. ![]() Conquistadors in South, Central and the southern part of North America routinely raided graves and temple burial sites in search of gold, according to historians. The unearthing of Indigenous graves is as old as European colonization. The Wangunk wedding of Bessie Palmer and Charles O'Neil East Hampton, Connecticut in 1920. I am appealing to anyone who visits the cemetery or who may have seen anything suspicious to contact Police”.Īnyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1754 of 14 March 2023, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.How did museums obtain these ancestral remains and funeral objects? Here’s a look at the history: A history of grave robbing Police Constable John Fortune from Dalkeith Police Station said: “This mindless and concerning damage has caused great distress to the family. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Police are appealing to anyone who may have information that could assist them track down the mindless vandals to get in touch. It's still so raw for me and her two big brothers." "I couldn't get out of bed - I was weak and had no energy. I also have a heart condition and it all made me become poorly. Most of it is a blur and I felt as if I was on autopilot for many weeks after. "She had a heart condition, but I've been told for now that this was not the cause of her death. She was very lethargic and unsettled while refusing food and milk. Little Amelia, who was born with a heart condition, was rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People in Edinburgh after becoming ill on June 19, 2022. I'll not rest until the culprit has been caught." "She's innocent and someone has purposely targeted it. It's been so distressing for me and my two boys - it's made me ill. "I feel as if she hasn't been left alone to rest. It's hard to understand why someone would do such a thing. Jenna, who is also mum to Riley, 10, and Taylor, 5, said: "It's an important place - it's all I have left of her. Police have launched a probe into the callous act, which they are treating as 'targeted' and devastated mum Jenna, 28, says she's since struggled to comprehend why someone would desecrate the only thing she has left of her beloved Amelia report the Record. READ MORE - Edinburgh dad says he is 'trapped in his home' as council refuse to build him ramp Pictures of the plaque, installed where Amelia's ashes were scattered, show dark spray paint covering her name. ![]() The baby, from the Midlothian town, was just seven-months-old when she died, having suddenly taken ill in June last year. ![]() Vile yobs spray painted over a memorial to little Amelia Grey in Newbattle Cemetery, Dalkeith, sometime between March 1 and 14. A Midlothian mum has been left distraught after heartless vandals defaced a plaque dedicated to her tragic baby daughter. ![]()
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