The Osteological composition of the alleged victims of the Xhosa Cattle-Killing Saga from Edward Street Cemetery, King William’s Town, South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 1993, the remains of a minimum of 17 individuals from more than 150 commingled human bones were unethically excavated at Edward Street Cemetery in King William’s Town, South Africa. The remains are believed to have been of victims of the mid nineteenth century Xhosa cattle-killing incident, which came as a prophetic instruction through Nongqawuse. The incident led to a severe artificially induced famine among the Xhosa people and some of them died as a result of starvation. The deceased were buried on the unmarked and non-consecrated side of the cemetery. This report presents a detailed summary of the osteological analysis of the remains from the 1993 exhumation. Despite the current historical emphasis on the issue of death due to starvation, the bones do not show any signs of nutritional stress.