Grave Relocation Procedures

Sandra Rodrigues - Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Consultancy – (GAS Heritage) 1

Brief Description of the Grave Relocation Procedures

GRAVE RELOCATION OVERVIEW

2014



Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 3

2 Introduction and Objectives .................................................................................................. 3

3 Summary of the Legal Framework ........................................................................................ 3

3.1 Timing for Obtaining Licenses and Authorizations……….……………………………………………………6

4 Graves' Assessments……………………...……………………………………………………………………..............7

4.1 Identification of Locations………………………………….……………………………………………………………..8

5 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 8

6 Procedures and Logistics for Safe Working ……………………………………………………………………13

7 Other Mitigation Measures For Graves and Cemeteries………………………………………………….15

8 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 16



1 Executive Summary

The intent of this document is to provide an overview of the procedures for

relocating graves in Mozambique, within the context of a Resettlement Project.

2 Introduction and Objectives

The document aims to focus on the following:

- Legal Framework

- Site Assessment Procedures

- Methodology

- Safe Working Procedures

- Mitigation Measures

3 Summary of the Legal Framework

There is no national legislation in Mozambique relating to funerals,

cemeteries or grave relocation.

In the absence of National Legislation, Directives are produced by Municipal

Assemblies (Assembleias Municipais).

For the purposes of this document, GAS Heritage has generally followed

resolution n. º 76/AM/2011 of October 26th 2011 from the Resolution of the

Municipal Assembly of Maputo.

Other legislation indirectly applies to grave relocation, namely:



• Regulation of the Resettlement Process as Result of Economic Activities

(Decree no. 31/2012, of 8 August);

o Article 1, clause F – Graves and Sacred Forests;

o Article 4, clauses F and I - Right to Public Consultancy and

the Protection of Cultural Heritage;

o Article 8, clause 1 – Intervenient in the Resettlement Process;

Authorization issued by the Provincial Department of Public Works,

Land Management and Planning, in coordination with the Provincial

Department of Agriculture;

Formal permit issued by District Administration:

o Article 9, line 2;

o Article 10- Rights of the Affected Population;

In addition to Mozambican regulations, the IFC Performance Standards also

apply, specifically the following;

IFC PS5 – Resettlement - articles: 5, 10 and 12:

IFC PS8 – Cultural Heritage.

Formal authorization to proceed with the relocation of graves/cemeteries

must be obtained from the Municipal Council (where applicable) and from the

District Department of Health and Sanitation. The Provincial Department of

Health and Sanitation must also be informed. The District Authorities are

obliged to coordinate with the relevant police authorities and police

representatives must be present during transfer of remains.

If graves are assessed as being more than 100 years old, a permit from The

National Direction of the Cultural Heritage (DNPC) is required and the

Archaeological Heritage Protection Regulation (Decree no. 27/94, of July 20)

applies.



Within the spirit of the Mozambican legislation and in order to have the

minimum impact possible during the grave relocation process, the following

procedures should be implemented:

1- Open the graves and excavate the area as quickly as possible;

ideally perform the complete excavation and translocation of

remains concurrently, with no unnecessary delays;

2- Identify and engage with family/relatives of the deceased

person(s) prior to planning the exhumation and re-burial of

remains. In certain cases, it may be necessary/appropriate to pay

monetary compensation – negotiations regarding such payments

will remain the responsibility of the Project team. Where

compensation is agreed formal documentation should be

completed and payment made prior to grave relocation.

3- The local population should not be directly involved with the

physical grave relocation process itself. If required by the local

authorities, a representative of the District Government and the

local community may be present during the works. Such local

representatives must follow the required safety procedures and

grave relocation schedules.

4- Local communities/representatives should be given the

opportunity to carry out any necessary rituals.

3.1 Timing for obtaining licenses and authorizations

Regulations and permits regarding cemeteries or graves, where present,

are generally issued by the relevant Municipal Council.

The permit process may take up to 3 months.



4 Graves’ Assessment

In order to be able to organize the relocation program, types of graves

and/or cemeteries should be identified as follows:

In current use;

Visible or marked with pottery or similar signs;

Within an enclosure (cemetery);

Graves in concrete – do they have a gravestone or not;

Graves marked with identification of the deceased;

Requirement for vegetation clearing;

Determine identity of living family/relatives;

If the graves are Christian or Muslim (or other?);

One or more human remains1;

Greater than 100 years old;

Whether or not classified/listed as archaeological sites;

The distance to the new grave location site/cemetery (IFC

Performance Standards require consultation with affected

communities/families in the choice of suitable replacement grave

sites);

Access for heavy vehicles to be used during exhumation and

transport of remains;

4.1 Identification of new graves/cemeteries’ locations:

The new cemetery/graves location depends upon consultation with

affected communities/families.

1 Generally the majority of the graves are allocated to one single individual. This means that one burial structure

therefore serves for the entombment of just one individual.



A minimum of two alternative sites should be identified in conjunction with

District Government, and then the final site(s) selected and written confirmation

of site acceptance obtained from local village/religious leadership.

Final choice of preferred site(s) must be that of the local

communities/families affected.

5 Methodology

The methods employed during exhumation, transport and reburial of

remains must:

Recover all remains;

Minimize damage to remains;

Uniquely identify all remains;

Record the location and content of all burials;

Preserve and respect the dignity of the buried individual;

Record the maximum information possible about the deceased and

grave. As a method of control and identification, a digital database in

which all the information concerning each grave is created.

Recent graves (less than 100 years old):

For the most recent graves, including those still in use, the data to be

recorded is that relevant to the general identification of the deceased (see table

below). The new cemetery will then have a Cemetery Record Book in which all

the graves relocated are described according to the data of the relocation

record sheet.

The methodology applied for the exhumation of recent burials is very

similar to the one performed for older graves (detailed description below).

However, in order to avoid the exposure of the cadaver (since the majority are



buried wrapped in cloths) to air, heat, and other decomposing agents, the

surface of the grave site is demarcated and test trenching2 by hand carried out

to prevent damage to the remains. The approach will then be adapted for each

situation since graves vary in shape, size, depth and content. When the body is

located, it is then removed and put in a grave specific container together with

part of the grave soil, to avoid unnecessary exposure of the remains.

After transportation to the new cemetery (on the same day), the grave

specific container is opened and the corpse is deposited in the new grave and

covered with earth. If the previous grave was made of concrete or had a special

gravestone, this should also be transported and put in place with the respective

identification of the deceased, grave number and recorded in the Cemetery

Record Book.

Details of deceased as indicated by the family (cemeteries in use)

Name: Unknown…

Surname: Unknown…

Age at death: Unknown…

Date of death: Unknown…

Name of family representative: Unknown…

New grave number: grave 00/01

Location of grave: X and Y coordinates/name of the place;

New location of grave: X and Y coordinates/name of the place;

2 The first issue to keep in mind when excavating individual graves is to determine the actual space they occupy; is it a single grave or a necropolis, to then plan the best process of excavation and removal. One possible way of doing this is by establishing a comprehensive grid system over the whole area so work can be carried out in a "chessboard" system. In this manner each box or section is dug out and opened systematically.



Graves greater than 100 years old:

The excavation methods generally employed are completed in situ once

the burial site is exposed, and the body and associated artefacts removed. The

focus is on accurate and complete documentation.

In order to clarify, various methods of grave excavation have been

proposed by different authors (Hester, 1975; Joukowsky, 1980; Krogman and

Iscan, 1986; Morse, 1978) and all stress the need for adequate workspace

around the exposed remains and a systematic approach to the removal of

individual bones. The archaeological method, including extensive test trenching

to prevent damage to the remains, is generally employed. This approach is

largely similar to that of forensic archaeology. The approach is adapted for each

situation since graves certainly diverge in shape, size, depth and content. In all

cases, the surface features of the grave are cleaned and documented.

The cultural material associated with the surface decoration is collected and

catalogued. All observations regarding construction, materials and

characteristics of the surface features are documented.

After the removal of the surface details, the extent of the burial pit is

ascertained through excavation and observation of differences in the soil

profiles. After the indications of the presence and characteristics of the burial pit

are documented, the burial pit soil will be excavated to expose the human

remains and any associated cultural materials. Removal of the soil in the burial

pit is accomplished through the test-trench approach whereby a narrow trench

(25-30 cm wide). If no indications of the presence of human remains are

observed in the test trench, the remaining in-fill soil, down to the depth of the

test trench, is removed with a shovel. This process is repeated until indications

of the presence of human remains are observed (see footnote nº 2 – pag.8).

As soon as human remains are encountered, care is taken to leave as

much of the skeleton as possible covered in order to protect the remains from

damage by excavation and to preserve the integrity of the context of the skeletal

elements and possible associated cultural remains.



The extent and characteristics of the burial pit are then documented and the

workspace is assessed and enlarged if not sufficient. This is only done after

documentation of the features of the burial pit and without sacrificing any vital

information.

The excavation then continues with the aim of ascertaining the extent of the

skeletal remains and the location of the different skeletal elements after which

the remains are uncovered, starting from the middle and working outwards. This

method again ensures the minimum disturbance of the remains and associated

cultural materials. As soon as the skeleton is uncovered, it is documented in situ

and removed. A further test trench 15 cm deep is dug in the area directly

underlying the location of the remains to ensure that all possible remains and

artefacts are found and recovered.

At this stage, the human remains are finally placed in the appropriate grave

specific container and transported to be reburied in the new cemetery.

When the containers arrive at the new cemetery, the new grave pits will be

pre dug in order to avoid delays. The pit is filled and any artefacts that were

found with the remains are replaced in their original orientation.

Standard identification sheets are used to document and describe the

features of both the remains and any associated artefacts (see example below).

Description of individual graves with more than 100 years old

Grave Nº.:

Name of deceased:

Age at death:

Date of death:

Name of family representative:



New grave number:

Location of grave:

Surface features of grave:

Grave goods: …

Measurements of grave depths:

Depth at which cultural remains

were found:

Depth at which human remains

were found:

Burial position:

Description of human remains:

Synthesis of evidence:

Location of grave: (X and Y coordinates/name of the place)

New location of grave: (X and Y coordinates/name of the place)

6 Procedures and Logistics for safe working

All personnel must use correct equipment, which includes:

Appropriate protective suits and boots;

mouth and nose masks;

safety glasses/face shields;

gloves;



The basic bio-security requirement is that all tools used manually

in the excavation/exhumation act are washed, disinfected and

stored adequately at the end of each working day.

The company’s personnel in direct contact with the decomposing

human remains have to follow the procedures of washing and

disinfection in a proper disinfecting chamber by the end of each

working day regardless the obligatory use of the protective

equipment described above.

The same procedures of washing and disinfection are applicable

to the containers used for the conservation and transport of the

human remains.

The company carrying out the work must also fully identify itself

and have all required insurance cover.

The Logistics for the work concerning safety also include:

a closed tent that covers the cemetery or grave area in order to

prevent the general public from seeing the procedures as well as to

provide protection from the elements;

portable air conditioning devices powered by generators - which

provide a more comfortable work environment and help to reduce

odors, gases or deterioration of the remains;

Specific transport and conservation containers in order to reduce

contact with the remains and exposure to the elements. Depending

on the age of the grave, these containers are of 3 different types:

A) Normal non-acclimatized containers in wood (graves more

than 7 years);



B) Polystyrene acclimatized containers (graves aged between

3 and 7 years);

C) For the most recent burials, especially for Muslim cadavers

(which generally are buried only wrapped in cloths) refrigerated

chambers for the transport of remains may be required (graves

less than 3 years).

7 Mitigation Measures for Graves and Cemeteries

Other mitigation measures are recommended in order to reduce the

potential Project impacts as follows:

1. Construction of a protective fence around graves/cemeteries to

exclude project traffic/activities.

2. Clearly mark cemeteries or isolated with specific project signposting.

3. If graves can be left in situ, and with the permission of the affected

families/communities, the preferred method is to cover them with

geotextile fabric prior to landfilling. The gravestones or other unique

markers can be relocated, but the remains left undisturbed.

8 Bibliography

o Costa Silva da, Robson Willians e Filho, Walter Malagutti, 2008.

Cemitérios como Áreas Potencialmente Contaminadas, Revista

Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais – número 9 (Abril), Brasil.

o Hester, T.R. et.al. 1975. A Guide to Field Methods in Archaeology. Palo

Alto.



o Joukowsky, M. 1980. A Complete Manual of Field Archaeology.

Engelwood Cliffs.

o Krogman, W.M. & Iscan, M.Y. 1986. The Human Skeleton in Forensic

Medicine. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.

o Morse, D. (ed.). 1978. Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and

Anthropology. Tallahassee.

o Nienaber, W.C. 1997. Exhumation and Reinterment of Burgher C.G.

Naude. South African Journal of Culture History. 11(1):123-133.

o Nienaber, W.C. and Steyn, M. 1999. Exhumation and Analysis of the

Remains of a Black Native Participant in the Anglo-Boer war (1899-

1902), KwaZulu-Natal. South African Journal of Culture History. 13(2):94-

110.

o Steyn, M., Nienaber, W.C. and Iscan, M.Y. 2000. Excavation and

Retrieval of Forensic Remains. In: Siegel, J.A., Saukko, P.J. and

Knupfer, G.C. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Forensic Sciences. Sidcup:

Academic Press. 235-242.

Sandra Rodrigues

(Archaeologist / GAS Heritage Director)

Grave Relocation Procedures

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