Skeletons in the closet: future avenues for the curation of archaeological human skeletal remains in the Dutch Caribbean and the rest of the region

Human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts in the Dutch Caribbean and the rest of the region are curated in a variety of facilities such as museums and the premises of heritage organizations, history and archaeology interest groups or in some cases private collections. These curating facilities deal with various challenges regarding the care for human remains, but in many cases a lack of sufficient resources affects the conservation of the human remains that have been under long-term curation. This chapter discusses some of the ways in which storage conditions and documentation of human skeletal remains in the region may cost-effectively be improved. Legislation and guidelines pertaining to the treatment of archaeological human remains in other parts of the world provide a potential framework for the development of conservation strategies for human skeletal remains under (long-term) curation in both the Dutch Caribbean, where legislation and guidelines for Dutch archaeology have recently been introduced, and the Caribbean region as a whole. While conservation of human remains is in the interest of all stakeholders, this chapter emphasizes the strengthening of ties between visiting researchers and curators in order to effectively make use of the available expertise and maintain conservation with very few resources. A model for the post-recovery treatment of archaeological human remains based on museum guidelines recently developed in Europe and shared responsibility between visiting researchers and curators is proposed.</p