ICONIC CORPSE- Saartjie "Sarah" Baartman

[@badabing17]

“Remember her as a woman, not a body” yes girl thank you

[@sparklingdaisy3169]

@Gathka Master so, you're saying it was okay for her to be seen as no more than a slave, an object for people's entertainment? you're sick.

[@Sweetumskitty1789]

Gathka Master How stupid are you?

[@Reminisce212]

Chanandler Bong exactly

[@buzzkill9884]

@Gathka Master lol

[@janicelmckee]

We are a very cruel species. How humiliating for that poor young woman. "Freak" shows or side shows prevailed for a very long time in Western culture. I remember encountering them on my first trip to the circus as a child. I recollect making one fellow warmly smile. I walked right up to the edge of his stage, and asked him if he was okay, and if anything hurt. I regarded him as a person and not a specimen. Always felt that the real freaks were the curiosity seekers and not the folks on display. Yes, we are a very cruel species.

[@kiaty5500]

Thank you. As a young black women, the effort, care, and attention that you have shown on this topic is greatly appreciated. Thank you once again for showing her true humanity.

[@ashm2338]

It just sucks that this kind of sensitivity and empathy still even needs to be congratulated because kindness should be standard. But I agree, Caitlyn was more than just sensitive, she covered an awful part of history with sensitivity and understanding. I wish everyone was respectful of culture and the human beings in it. Much love to you hon. I'm just ranting because I have seen some bullshit racism on multiple occasions the past few days and wish It wasn't a reality.

[@kaymeijvogel_]

i am dutch and i really hate what happened in the past and all the stuff about slavery, i wanna apologize for everything they made them/your ancestors (idk if that’s written well) go trough

[@tomservo5007]

rainbow_ _muffincakes91 , Does it bother you the way her story is told is to entertain you?

[@wschippr1]

Tom Servo I don't think entertain is really the right word, educate would probably be more fitting.

[@soapybork]

woman*

[@sarahb1862]

Not a happy mood, but we must acknowledge and share stories like Saartjie's. What happened to her was criminal and evil.

[@Matt-hx4vn]

Agreed. Also agree that we need to learn about it. We can't move forward as a society if we hide from the past.

[@froggydoodle808]

True, but in my prudish, body-shamed heart, I wish we could cover all of the existing images of her naked body with little virtual bathrobes! She probably felt deep shame about being exhibited naked in front of crowds of fully-clothed-from-neck-to-toes white women, especially as she certainly knew that many of the bodies under those tight-laced clothes more or less closely resembled hers, and the clothes themselves were really the only difference between her and the crowds staring at her. (Well-fed white ladies with pear-shaped weight distribution and a slight case of swayback could very well swap size 18W Lee Comfort Fit jeans with her.) It just makes my heart ache for the injustice that she had to live under, being viewed as less than human, day in, day out, for so many years. I wish I could travel back in time and stand up beside her and drop trou and let the world judge whether my big white full moon was more "human" than hers! (Disclaimer: I'm not actually 18W, but I am sway-backed and would be shaped exactly like her if I put on a few pounds for the trip.) Thinking about it actually makes me madder, because I'm sure there were plus-size ladies in those crowds who *knew* she was exactly like them and chose to stay silent about it out of the same aforementioned prudery and body shame that has been programmed in me 200 years later!

[@ala4935]

froggy doodle eh, no. fat white women aren’t more-or-less shaped that way, at all. she most likely had steatopygia, which is near exclusively found in sub-saharan african peoples. it has nothing to do with “sway back.”

[@froggydoodle808]

@@ala4935, thanks for that info; I was unaware of that condition. In my case, it's a combination of "sway-back" (there's a scientific term for that) and a forward-tilted pelvis. But, yes, it can look very similar.

[@myal7532]

“Steatopygia” is not a medical condition. It is a product of pseudoscience and medical racism. It directly relates to the othering and maltreatment of black peoples and black bodies in the Western world.

[@AmandaGeyerSnobahr]

I'm glad that her body was finally returned to Africa, and buried with all the respect due to her as a human being. I don't know if there's an afterlife, but if there is, I hope she has received comfort from that final act.

[@thegriffin88]

My main problem with the'contract' is that Bartman likely couldn't read.

[@patriciam5563]

thegriffin88 this honestly makes a lot of sense. Maybe there was a contract, but she was lied to about the content? Like, everything that‘d happen to her was written out, but they told her she‘d be okay.

[@loretohidalgo3533]

Actually that was something that white people did to locals all the time

[@EVERSAWHARDROCK]

The main problem is that these white supremacists are Devils

[@jacqlynberkoh2175]

I wouldn't be surprised white men of that era had a horrible habit of signing 'contracts' with loyal and kind hearted people who believed based off of their word as to what they were signing. It has happened alot from Natives/Indigenous people, slaves, and even most likely non European Dynasty's such as Dynasty's in Asia and Middle East. The most disturbing aspect is there are still quite a few contracts that are still in affect till this day that benefit the " white man".

[@bythebay8183]

@@patriciam5563 that's what I was thinking about the translator too. Being that one was needed, they had the only real say of what she said and could have been in someone's pocket and made it appear favorable to them.

[@Lu-zj6bo]

Hey there, just a suggestion for a future iconic corpse would be Emmett Till. The story and horrific photos, and OPEN CASKET funeral allowed the public to see what those monsters did to that poor, young, and INNOCENT teen.

[@Zone10Permaculture]

Yes, please do a video on Emmett Till.

[@h2oteen]

BUMP! Please!

[@neysaedwards-turnbull4494]

Yess I agree

[@wyomingadventures]

Yes, this is a great idea and such a sad story made me cry to see him and his mother. She was a brave woman for display his body

[@donnanoe6736]

The Emmett Till murder was extremely horrific. He was just a boy. I cannot imagine the pain that his mother felt. I felt pain and severe heartbreak whilst reading about Emmett and what was done to him by the white supremacist monsters. It still makes my blood boil.

[@i_vanta]

On behalf of all South Africans, I would personally like to thank you for pronouncing "Saartjie" correctly.

[@andiglogauer]

I agree! Thanks for respecting our language as well as the legacy of Saartjie

[@daddylonglegs444]

Thank you!!!

[@pinkone5127]

Well done😁I was kinda surprised when you did pronounce it right but I'm proud👏👏

[@AshleeRaynee]

agreed

[@carolinebam8827]

I know, I was so impressed with her pronunciation!

[@browneyedrockerbabe4155]

Such a sad story....I've read about her story over the years. It hurt my heart, but I'm glad she's finally resting in peace.

[@brownbagz]

Agreed!

[@AmazingJellyfish]

Wasnt there a movie about her story?

[@MariposaRedimida]

Charity Thomas Oh hell no, I can't handle that.

[@starcherry6814]

The thing is, her body type isn't even that uncommon in my country! My mother has hips like that

[@raizims5232]

Obviously your mother is in a different time period..

[@janchristianwismarsaragih902]

Pic or it didn't happen

[@JokersSerious]

it was just a huge badonkadonk. ffs, white women have huge fucking asses. like, gargantuan - they just need to stuff their faces.

[@renoloverxoxo]

Given how sexually repressed people were, using women like Saartjie as an outlet was a disgusting pasttime.

[@theworldoverheavan560]

@@janchristianwismarsaragih902 lol

[@geekfreak2000]

Rewatching this video. She was a woman. A woman with a voice, a mind, a heart, a soul. She was a woman with a family, friends, a job, a life. She deserved so much more dignity and decency than she was given.

[@unconditionallove2735]

Yes, and a child created by Jesus Christ just like us... those barbarians will get their karma in their judgment one day...Shame so much humiliation and pain

[@polluxblaze]

Before your channel, I had no idea that so many women were explored after death. Not only explored but disrespected, violated and dehumanized. The present is still full of horrifying news but the past is beyond unethical, it's utterly cruel and disgusting. Thank you so much for making us aware of that.

[@speedingatheist]

No imagine how many men were explored and disrespected, violated and dehumanized. But who cares, right?

[@nomi_M]

@@speedingatheist *sigh* There's always that 'but what about men comment', even if the related video in question is about a WOMAN. Without fail.

[@speedingatheist]

@@nomi_M Yeah, what an amazing concept to remember how BOTH genders were treated badly in the past. I'm a humanist, you're a regressive feminist.

[@nomi_M]

@@speedingatheist Not including men in every.single.topic regarding female oppression in history is not "regressive feminism". Do you ever go out of your way to speak up about male oppression? Or only when you see women speak up about theirs.

[@crin28]

Speeding Atheist I understand what you mean. (Apologies, if not!) Society should have conversations about fair treatment of both sexes. I think we tend to hear more about mistreatment of women because, throughout history, women have had fewer rights and have been objectified more. Assuming Caitlin and team would agree that... there are just more stories to tell about women. I want to emphasize, however, that many men (especially men of color) also experienced hardships throughout history. Their lives are equally important and I would love to also hear their stories. On a side note: if you are a man who stands up for equal rights of all people, you likely don’t receive as much acknowledgement as you should right now. Thank you. 😊

[@blackhagalaz]

It is finally time for western science to acknowledge this dark part of history and give back human remains and artifacts it collected during colonialism. This is still happen really slowly, but gladly it starts. This however doesn't make the fate of this poor woman undone. I am however glad she is at least resting in her homeland now, and I am really glad caitlyn that you taught us about her. She deserves to be remembered along with all the people who faced the same sad fate

[@h.r.9563]

It would be cool if every stolen artifact was owned by their home country and museums swap exhibits for money or a certain time frame. Would be fair to say artifacts must be returned to their country of origin for at least 50% of the year to start the reunification of artifacts process so cities can accordingly adjust to the new swap routine. Just a thought

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

@@h.r.9563 I don't know if we'll ever see that in our lifetime, if ever. Racism is so intertwined with the past, it's almost impossible to separate the two. We can petition these museums and universities to return artifacts they display in their halls to their rightful homelands, but we'll have ten times that many people losing their damn minds about how white people have a right to those stolen artifacts, and shitting themselves over how it's "taking away/erasing white culture", without even a hint of irony over the fact that white culture is steeped in colonization and taking what doesn't belong to them.

[@KiraNightshade]

@@h.r.9563 This is a really great idea.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

I agree…just watched a video on the Benin bronzes, which were looted by the British. One is being repatriated…a beautiful rooster…by a museum in the US.

[@blackhagalaz]

@@sharonkaczorowski8690 Yeah the Benin bronces are such an example. Beautiful artwork, admired by many but not in the hands of the people who created it. I work in a museum of medical history in Germany, and a few years back our adjoining hospital discovered a collection of sculls from Africa, that where collected for research during colonial times. So we are in the process of giving back those remains l, so they can be buried in their homeland. Some have already been buried, some are still here. But it's a first step.

[@boanddevan4316]

I met Caitlin last night... I am always hesitant about meeting "famous" people because I feel like they are very "prideful" and could care less about meeting fans...But Caitlin was NOT like this. She was amazing!!! She hugged me and we made meaningful small talk. I was very impressed! I also confessed my love to her while my husband took the picture!

[@AskAMortician]

Thank you for coming!!

[@sleepysartorialist]

Yes, such a normal, awesome person!

[@CagedxBirdx]

I’m so jealous!!! 😅

[@1otterlover]

I saw Caitlin at the beginning of her book tour for "From Here to Eternity" in Hollywood last year. There were so many fans packed in the bookstore and with my arthritis, I wasn't able to actually speak to her face to face but she did take my question from the audience. She is such a warm person and so knowledgeable.

[@whitneymcfarlane9325]

Yes, Caitlyn it was great to have you in SLC!! Come back again :)

[@IamMissPronounced]

Although I'm a white South African, I wanna say thanks for treating her story with so much respect. What was done to Saartjie by white men is absolutely criminal and heartbreaking.

[@Tippy2forU]

About the same that you folks making the black folks carry passports in their own country and took their farmland but yeah blame the white men in Europe. White women in SA had a hand in what happened as well.

[@Brinta3]

Tiff'sTravels2012 That’s actually racism you are doing right there. You are suggesting that all white South-Africans are the same.

[@resilientrebel2941]

@C Ky she hit a nerve you snowflake. All in SA willing to die just to hijack identities. Foh cave dwelling colonist

[@dianetodd]

Caesar was a black man.

[@WeatherMondacicci]

@@dianetodd No he was not, even his statues look like a Caucasian man. Quit trying to steal history and claim it for yourselves, This makes you no better than the colonizers you love to hate.

[@mistiandamelia]

I would like to recommend Emmit Till as an Iconic Corpse. That poor child.

[@Maggot_infestedd]

Mistica Davis yess this

[@chupacabra8146]

Yes! We need this!

[@AngelLustZombie]

@ThatOneAsianBroChick i'm guessing his "iconic" status is because despite the brutal nature of his death and how battered his body was, his coffin was kept open and photographed at the request of his family to raise awareness about how savage the lynching was.

[@nancymontgomery8897]

@@AngelLustZombie I didn't hear he was lynched. Being savagely beaten to a pulp and strangled with barbed wire wasn't enough? That poor little boy.

[@AngelLustZombie]

@@nancymontgomery8897 "lynched" is the term for basically ganging up on a black person and committing a hate crime so yeah

[@shellsnbees]

This is an important episode, it’s not fun, rather important much all your videos. Thank you Caitlin for what you do! Love you!

[@eps3154]

To tie it into modern controversies and ethics, this is why the Kim Kardashian photoshoot with the champagne glass was such an issue for some. On one hand, yes, she absolutely has agency over her own body, but the art direction (& commercial consumption of those images) tie back into the kind of exploitation women like Saartije endured...

[@tomservo5007]

It's an important episode because Saartjie is still providing you with entertainment just like she did with her live audience. I'm not saying her story shouldn't be told. I'm saying it shouldn't be told in an entertaining way, it's exploiting her again. It makes the vlogger Saartjie's virtual handler. It's not ethical. I'm dumbfounded that no one mentions that in the comments.

[@fourever2ne1]

shelby schulze I agree,and history rarely is fun.

[@rosiegonzaga115]

I love how respectful you are. Some people still objectify people after they die and you don’t, you make it clear that these are real people and now things to laugh/gwak/make fun of etc. that’s why I’m subscribed and immediately watch your videos as soon as they come out! Keep up the good work!

[@JEMHull-gf9el]

Thye are real people they most certainly are not "now things to laugh/gawk/make fun of" why would you even think that?!

[@icybubblegumartist]

LockTest I think it’s a typo, it’s meant to say Not

[@electrAnnika]

THIS!

[@omgfinally4340]

Most cultures are as respectful of the dead as if they were alive. It's an American this to kick a corpse if u find it in an alley. I'm Jewish, so we always had a very respectful death... But I learned how Muslims do, and then I just kept reading about diff cultures. Caitlins new book is literally amazing. All these death rituals in one book

[@omgfinally4340]

@@JEMHull-gf9el people are like that though.. especially younger people (teenages/young adults for example). If a homeless person/ terrorist dies.... educated adults can be disrespectful too. As a culture, America sucks when it comes to death

[@CEDL4072]

Do Tarraré! They said his corpse smelled so bad and rotted so fast, they couldn't even complete the autopsy.

[@projectboy5409]

And in life his hunger could never be stopped. Oh it's often thought he ate a baby.

[@missfreakk1416]

Oh yes!! Hyperphagia, such an interesting topic!

[@simona_ab]

Totally agree!!!

[@curiositygarden]

Sam O’Nella did a segment on him and now I need Caitlin to do the same.

[@CEDL4072]

@@curiositygarden Haha I wanna marry Sam O'Nella and have his stick figured wavy haired babies 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@cuuberofficial]

As a woman this makes me feel so upset. May she Rest In Peace - away from the monsters that used her. No woman should be treated like this. It’s horrifying and it just makes me want to just cry.

[@craigseptember4029]

Thanks Caitlin for honouring my heritage, by telling the story of Saartjie. She is an IMPORTANT part of my cultural heritage as a coloured South African, and her story, though sad, had to be heard.

[@kieranmarshall6355]

I would love to see an Iconic Corpse about Mollie Maggia! Killed by radium poisoning from factory work & slandered after death, but her exhumation (during which her body was said to faintly glow) gave the evidence that led to a historic win for workers' rights.

[@louisebentley4886]

Yes, that's her.

[@zachariahorion]

Cool! Yes! Definitely a good one!

[@tuel7664]

I second this!!

[@taradaycatalortaraifyourno8482]

Yes yes yes!!!

[@lunapyrope9683]

Rest in Peace Saartjie Bartman. Another sad story about the objectification of the black female body, that still has ramifications today.

[@merdab8]

I don't understand how people could just watch her and feel no empathy. They could have just as easily been born in the same situation and were only able to gawk because they happened to be born white and in England. Why, even now, do we lack empathy for people like female refugees trying to flee El Salvador or Honduras so they can STAY ALIVE a little longer since most of them are living with numbered days due to abusive family situations. If they could go about seeking asylum legally they would, but their lives are so bag that being jailed in America at least gives them time to just live without a daily fear of murder. They're us. Americans like me would be just like them. I just don't feel like we'll ever get there. Sorry for the long comment, you do such great work and I wish you were seen in every country on this tiny warm rock.

[@505matter]

I don’t think they even understood the concept of empathy back then.

[@moonlightxcv]

merdab8 thank you!!! That was basically the summary of my parents. Both Salvadorans! If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be here.

[@moonlightxcv]

A Sojourner stfu. You sound racist.

[@beckycantrell5547]

I think back in those days they considered black African’s to be of very low intelligence. They basically compared them to animals! Very sad. That’s just my thoughts, I’m by no means an expert...

[@asphodelale]

Unfortunately, even for those granted asylum, that doesn't mean that violence against women will magically disappear--women in the U.S. are still raped, murdered, beaten, and forced into prostitution. And as always, the poor and those without support systems (such as immigrants) are disproportionally affected. Likewise, those fleeing violence in general should be warned that it happens here too. I mean, really, the only weekends you _don't_ expect double-digit murders in Chicago, are the ones where we just had a blizzard and nobody can get out to do a drive-by. And a lot of good it'd do to flee one slum only to end up in a different one here, or one gang, only to get the attention of our local 'clubs'. Just because something is statistically less likely doesn't mean it isn't still statistically significant. *sighs*

[@catherinespark]

Just got to say, I really love how you're interested in death not for some perverted reason but because it's a big and too-often overlooked part of honouring the humanity of people. So often we only ever a) never hear anything about death, b) hear death reluctantly mentioned in a euphamised manner and then quickly rushed/glossed over in order to refocus on the life of the person instead, with a need for more details being shamed or reviled as unhealthy, or c) only hear the actual details about death or focus on it from people interested in corpses and death in a kind of pevertedly fetishised way. You manage to focus unashamedly and unrushedly on the death of the person, without glossing over it; making it interesting from an educational point of view, without fetishising or trivialising it. And you specifically call people out who are inappropriately flippant about it, whilst maintaining appropriate humour so it's not all doom and gloom. You're remarkable. Thank you for all you do.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

Yes, and when searching for Caitlin videos I find sprinkled in among them very purient, disgusting vids

[@Reluctant.Idealist]

They couldn't even leave her alone when she passed! So horrific that it took until 2002 to retrieve her body and put her to rest. Can't imagine the absolute torture this poor woman went through, and then to have her body displayed like this for so many years.

[@greyedrose]

It took until '74 for there to be a public outcry over her being displayed in the Museum of Man?!? Humans, as a group, just SUCK!! Love and Peace to you beautiful Saartjie!!!

[@franQpoet]

*cough *cough,be specific...which humans?

[@lissaquon607]

@Ujuani Abelsen Lack of respect for the remains. She was a person - and did not wish to be made into a specimen. Even today when we use corpses for body farms and Body Worlds, and donate to science those are all done with remains of people Who Consented to this. Basically it boils down to "picture your grandmother's body - now imagine your grandmother's body behind glass for people to gawk at cause she looked weird." If you wouldn't want someone to do it to grandma (without her consent) - don't do it to someone else.

[@paradise1812]

HPPAV2003 you’re not hurting anyone.

[@Avnirvana1]

Rosie B Probably the civil rights act in America triggered some reflection in people

[@kristall5928]

Uhm. Many corpses were displayed for being unusual back then? Of course humans suck, including you for your childish outlook. The world isn't sun shine and rainbows. What happened to her was absolutely horrible and I'm glad she was laid to rest. But worse things have happened and for this to be the thing that makes you tick you have a lot more things to experience

[@90sgyald]

I’m so glad you covered her story! It’s so sad but interesting

[@suzyq8850]

That has to be one of the saddest iconic corpse stories I have ever heard, that poor innocent woman 😭😭😭😭😭

[@xbtx6497]

My great aunt, poet and activist, Diana Ferrus, was one of the invidivuals to bring her remains back to South Africa. Thank you for making this video.

[@cidneykirk3407]

Ann extended thank you to your family

[@klaudiajulius6742]

On behalf of every south African thank you for taking the time to pronounce her name right... Depending on if you're coloured or black sometimes it may be pronounced SARR-(ROLL THE R'S) CHIE but im so happy you did your homework i love you're videos btw Thank you ❤️❤️

[@Girl95szia]

Sorry, could you explain what you mean by: "Depending on if you're coloured or black sometimes it may be pronounced...". Is it tribe specific, or?

[@adelstander4900]

@@Girl95szia You can explain it as differences in dialect or pronunciation. A native Afrikaans speaker would pronounce it like Caitlyn does. A different Afrikaans dialect will pronounce it with the "chee" at the end. A person who is not first language Afrikaans could pronounce it in many ways. Welcome to the beautiful diversity of South Africa!

[@LB_die_Kaapie]

@Dash93 Why do you blacks hate us Coloureds so much? Is it because we have Khoikhoi and San dna and your dna comes from west Africa? Stop being jealous it makes you nasty..

[@strawboy9296]

@@LB_die_Kaapie i think im missing the difference between black and "colored." do you mean brown? (non-black) poc?

[@strawboy9296]

@@LB_die_Kaapie also i mean no disrespect im just curious

[@jesikan4285]

Emmitt Till also had a very sad end they reopened the case and I hope he gets justice his mother had a open casket funeral for him she wanted everyone to see how disfigured they left him 😔

[@a.h.2667]

Truly sad story and unfortunately, his grave has been found vandalized more than once.

[@pineapplesbxtch3785]

Tasha Ms SweetTea S. That’s crazy the governor has a connection.

[@jenniferfyffe5775]

DL1982 Peters hey you should really consider going public with this kind of information. Contact the press or something. I know that it won’t really help the reopened case at all, but people who say those kinds of things should at least be publicly called out and held accountable. It sounds to me like this family has gotten away with far too much for far too long.

[@wyomingadventures]

I just watched video on him it's a very sad story his poor mother she was brave for making it public

[@JokersSerious]

...and why is it you're divulging all this on a yt comment section instead of going public with this shit and ensuring he's dragged through the dirt for the rest of his life?

[@RaccoonInACocoon]

I nominate Angelo Soliman, also an african man, who's body was exhibited in a museum. Even though he enjoyed great respect during his life. He even became head of his masonic lodge. His daughter Josefine Soliman fought for years to give him a proper burial until the museum burned down and his remains were lost. He had a very interesting life and is part of Black Austrian history, which is sadly not very well known.

[@alicethemadrabbit1842]

Sounds like that black mirror episode might've been inspired by that story. :o

[@HomicidalRubberducky]

Wasn't there a film about him recently? Sadly i missed it in the cinemas :/

[@kandacenoire]

Gotta look him up thanks

[@minzy5857]

So sad. I feel like I want to say something, but I don’t know what. What she went through was unspeakable horror. It’s heartbreaking.

[@TXejas19]

It was far worse than this according to some reports. I hope she is at peace now

[@omgfinally4340]

I feel you. Fkn awful

[@sueszooinmizzousueszooinmi2613]

I think you said it well!

[@minzy5857]

thank you🙏

[@thotpatroller7892]

God is dead

[@Monotonous44]

Thank you the correct pronunciation of "Saartjie" on behalf of all South Africans

[@ulyssesdenice5071]

Coming from a South African, I want to thank you for treating this story with such a huge amount of respect, care and empathy, and overall,bringing her story into the light. On behalf of all us, we really appreciate it. What happen to Saartjie has been nothing but inhumane and criminal, and I hope the people who treated her the way they did are burning to a crisp in hell. And I hope Saartjie is at peace now among the stars, especially now that she's been buried on her homeland here with us. She's finally at rest now.

[@gloriadiaz-britz3599]

I remember studying her life's story in college. I was struck then by how NOT surprised I was that this was done to her. Her exploitation was definitely much easier to spot, being WAY out in the open, but lets be real...the exploitation hasn't stopped...people just have to be a tad sneakier about it now. Such a sad story. I'm glad she finally got to be sent back home, even if it couldn't be in her lifetime.

[@sleepysartorialist]

OMG thank you for recognizing that it hasn’t stopped. I swear some people think this has ended.

[@asiarussell861]

Oh absolutely!

[@starcherry6814]

I had never even heard of this woman before! Wow! Thanks Caitlyn for telling her story in such a respectful manner!

[@Hunnydee357]

I just wanted to say I have truly become an avid fan of your youtube videos. In 1989 I wanted to become a funeral director, but as a Hispanic catholic female in el paso, my grandmother and mother thought I had something wrong with me and I needed to change my "life goals" . I also was "goth" before we labeled it that name, so of course I was going to to "hell" and needed to devote more time to my novenas.... I laugh at that so much now. I have a different way of caring for people, I work in oncology. I still believe all people need tenderness and care in their last days and well into their transition to death. I honor my dead, including my mother and grandmother who are now deceased. I believe in celebrating their lives and memories. My husband (a non hispanic) had to be trained that is was not morbid and that the grand collection of beautiful sparkly sugar skulls is to show the beauty of death and the lives of those that lived. I will be looking for your podcasts, you would definitely have been someone who I can see being friends. Thank you for opening the general public to the education of funerary science.

[@palmo9823]

I read a very good essay about the ideological purpose that sexualizing native women in Africa and the Americas served recently called "some could suckle over their shoulder: male travelers, female bodies, and the gendering of racial ideology". The author makes the argument that the sexualisation of Black women, the other side of the coin of their dehumanisation (specifically their construction as monstrous) was a key component of settler colonialism and chattel slavery and it's overall it's a very good read to make sense of how this happened and why.

[@SwayTree]

I think it's going to far... The result sure was humilating women by sexual assult but I don't think it was planned. No one sat there and thought: "What can we do to dehumanise them more?". It was already in their head that they aren't people so they felt free to do whatever they liked. Not to mention that women in general weren't considered human at that time... :/

[@palmo9823]

@@SwayTree did you actually read the essay? It's available through JSTOR . I strongly recommend reading it before trying to assert how the author attributes agency, intention and responsibility to individual actors

[@Crabby-Abby]

Oh gosh I can't wait to read this, it sounds really really good. Thanks for posting about it!

[@sleepysartorialist]

Spoiler alert: we still suffer from this 🙃

[@DarkwaveMistress]

@Sway Tree haven't read the essay OP recomended but... rape is a weapon that has been used against women forever. Men know this. Don't ever think it's not deliberate. @Olive Seraphim I'm on my way to read it.

[@samanthadutoit1247]

Loved that you said Saartjie, I remembered the day she came home. It was very emotional indeed as I am mix with Khoi blood myself. Tx

[@lavenderdust7912]

No matter how many times I hear her story, it never gets less gut wrenching ans heart breaking. She died so young and after so much abuse, and they didn't even have the decency to let her rest. Thank god she's now in her motherland, finally resting in a loving ground. RIP Saartje.

[@Dnewbs97]

I am SO grateful hearing a piece of black history on this channel. The way that you present EVERY Iconic Corpse is always with the utmost respect, and the way that you tell each person's story has always been uniquely entertaining!

[@CharonsNightmare]

In my hometown Vienna we had a very similar and also quiet shameful case sometime during the secound half of the 18th century. He was called Angelo Soliman and quiet well known when alive, he even was a freemason member and it is said that he played chess with the austrian emperor and was aquianted with mozart. Yet that didn't help his daugther when he was taxidermized soon after his death and displayed like an animal in our museum of natural history. Until in 1848 during the revolution a cannonbal hit the complex where he was stored at that time and so his remains where burned.

[@sleepysartorialist]

Goorbatschov I didn’t know about this! I wonder if my Viennese friend does. I will ask her.

[@omgfinally4340]

I'm gonna read about this now. Thanks for the info. (My family is Viennese but idk anything about their history. This will probably spark my interest in learning tho)

[@ptonpc]

Humans suck at times.

[@CharonsNightmare]

@ptonpc Sadly Yes.

[@CharonsNightmare]

@The Mad Lolita Chances are high she doesn't. The majority of the people have forgotten about it sadly and I too only know about it because I'm a historian.

[@lilitharam44]

I request a video on James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." His poor body was displayed and dragged around while his family fought over it and his estate and that was in the 2000's. Also, please do a video introducing us to your new cat, if you have one, since "The Meow's" passing. Thanks!

[@nikkpless2373]

Yes yes yes please! I had no idea about it and I am a huge fan of his music. I need to educate myself

[@nocoho1]

What about Henrietta Lacks? Another touching takeoff exploitation!

[@nupharrimer9509]

I have a paper on her and the controversies surrounding her genetic information and medical consent.

[@hazelbd8201]

@Al X. Andra considering how ill her family was. Have the people closest to her even been helped by her body?

[@genpren]

Yessssss. Her body is everywhere.

[@monicahyland8641]

I’m so sorry mrs Bartman, you were such a beautiful young woman and you deserved so much more than this.

[@Coopsickle]

I had never heard of her and I'm so sad to hear of this legacy. I knew things like this must have happened to millions, but it's still an unfathomably awful and cruel history. At least I got to hear about it first from someone who recognized her as a person, hopefully that's how others will hear of her story in the future.

[@SSRIs]

Coopsickle to some people? More like to millions and millions of enslaved Africans all over the world & still to this day

[@Coopsickle]

@@SSRIs You're right.

[@jutiajulia]

This story was way way way too sad. I can’t imagine what she had to go through, it hurts me to my core. I’m so sorry she and so many other people had to go through that horrible treatment.

[@JourneyToMyDestiny]

That was my thought, she was the most widely known, but hardly the only.

[@Tempirance1]

So very sad that she had to endure so much pain and heart ache. Being ripped from her Ancestral home, losing both her husband and child, then being subjected to having hundreds of men gawk and touch her. She wasn't a party favor nor was she treated as a human being. I'm glad she was finally returned to her ancestral home and given the respectful burial she deserved.

[@Koikama]

This channel was one of my first introductions to positive death. I was hesitant at first due to having dealt with death many times in the past or almost dying myself. This channel sparked my old interest in the "what next?" question and I am happy to say I am planning to become a funeral director soon after much thought and research into the field. I am happy to offer comfort and help with closure after a loved one passes away and make the family feel less alone. It is an honor to see people when they are the most vulnerable but also showing their strength and even more so, to be the one entrusted with the deceased. Thank you Caitlin ❤

[@tonicastel2390]

Thanks Caitlin so much for discussing Saartjie Baartman. Her life was so tragic but her story must not be forgotten. From a fellow South African.

[@whiskeyclones7161]

I completely forgot about her story! I knew when I saw the thumbnail you would do a good job on such a sensitive subject. Thank you for once again being realistic and respectful.

[@elaniel3273]

i wish we knew her real name

[@melandrivanderwal8918]

That was her real name.

[@radioreprise]

Melandri Van Der Wal 2:08

[@melandrivanderwal8918]

Her name was Sara. She was just given the name Saartjie by the Dutch that colonized our country. So we do know here real name.

[@melandrivanderwal8918]

Her*

[@radioreprise]

@@melandrivanderwal8918 saarjte is the dutch version of sara. her real name is something in her native language.

[@jenniferlaycock2429]

I think Big Nose George, outlaw, would be an interesting iconic corpse to know more about. The treatment of his corpse raises lots of ethical questions for me, mainly because I don't want to be turned into shoes.

[@woolandiron]

...turned into shoes?! I must know more about this now.

[@misssmisssymaria]

WHAT??

[@baleydee]

Omg that's terrifying

[@kerryfirehorse]

The way Saartjie was treated is shameful. So much for Western 'civilization'... so arrogant, there is nothing civilized about the way we treat other beings.

[@conveyor2]

You self flagellation is ever so noble and progressive! More!

[@domoisawsome123]

@@conveyor2 Did they hurt your fee fees?

[@hrimgor]

I mean, this kind of behavior isn't restricted to any one culture. All of humanity has the same horrible capabilities, and all cultures and civilizations have their own histories.

[@domoisawsome123]

@peacenow42 Thank u

[@agoogler9251]

Saddest story, this poor woman was tortured her whole life. The suffering that we can inflict on each other. I'm crying for her still. I'm so sorry, Sarah.

[@pookpook3891]

If someone is interested, there is a great movie based upon her life called "Venus noire". I recall watching it in philosophy class in high school and it was so difficult (a part of it was because I'm mixed raced and I have the same last name as the second owner of Saartjie....). It's one of these movies which leaves you quite shaken so it's not for everybody.... I know I thought about it for a long time. There are subtitles available but I don't know if it's dubbed. Anyway I recommend it :)

[@LJWRSJC]

How about the English king Richard the III with skeletal abnormalities found buried under a parking lot.

[@usernamesareimpossible]

Caitlin, thank you for presenting Saartjie with so much respect and care. I am so glad you have brought light to what happened to her. Your videos can be difficult to watch, and it’s because you present the information so genuinely and without trying to sweeten what has happened. You are awesome

[@MsShopson]

Thank you so much for telling the story of one of my ancestors. This brought me tears

[@ninamalan486]

I know many have said this already, but as a South African, thank you for taking the time to learn the proper pronunciation of her name - the 'r' and 'tjie' sounds are not easy for English speakers! Saying her name right just gives so much more autonomy and humanity to her as a person. Thank you for the empathy and care shown to Saartjie and her heartbreaking life.

[@Cilla0415]

I think you should do Emmitt Tille for the next Iconic corpse.

[@sleepysartorialist]

Parker Williams 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@TXejas19]

That's a big one to unravel

[@theshevirgo]

I agree but that one needs to be delicately handled. I’m sure Caitlyn would do a great time but that’s also a bit fresh in history’s memories.

[@Cilla0415]

I agree, but I think it's a murder/corpse that not a ton of people know/remember.

[@MamaMudiwa]

Agreed

[@MononofuLynn]

I've been hoping you'd cover Saartjie. Thank you

[@1MegArbo]

I could swear she already covered this story. Even if it is a repeat, it is worth being repeated.

[@donnaisfairlyodd]

meg arbo seriously. I was searching all over for it because I KNOW I saw one about this.

[@BrownieVixen.]

Thank you so much for being so respectful and giving as much information about her.

[@stephenhawkins5370]

I am African American, Thank you for this!!! Thank you for telling her story!!!♥️✊🏿

[@kindnesssodafloat330]

I live in South Africa it’s shameful this happened 😭😭😭thank you for covering this 🙏🏻

[@beauhayes6617]

Hello there! I live near Cape Town, South Africa, and they taught us her story in secondary school! Love your videos (and your pronunciation of her name)!

[@myexistentialcrisis]

Hey fellow South African😂✌

[@indylwth2327]

Yeah, I’m impressed with her pronunciation as well! People often struggle with the rrrrrr in our words! Hi from Port Elizabeth!👋🏻

[@myexistentialcrisis]

@@indylwth2327 I'm from Johannesburg ✌

[@juliahodgskin-rossouw6089]

I'm from pietermaritzburg 🍾 yay SA

[@kwarra-an]

Julia Hodgskin - Also from Pietermaritzburg!

[@zz55jf]

I love how everyone who works with Catlin long enough gains bangs.

[@kelseycoca]

They're contagious lol

[@alluneedislessthan3]

It’s so important to know about individual stories like this because I know intellectually how horrific and inhumane this period in history was, but hearing just one person’s story makes it so much more real. It’s so sad and scary but so important to remember so we don’t repeat it in the future.

[@PrepperPrincess]

Requesting a video on Anthony Zipper. He was on Howard Stern and brought his stuffed dead daughter on the show...supposedly. Would like to know if it’s real

[@lazyhomebody1356]

Considering how many of Caitlin's fans want to be stuffed, this is a video she should do

[@CologneCarter]

You belief in the tooth fairy too?

[@Blake_.Dryden]

She wasn’t real, just wanted to let you know ... 9 months later... lol ...Have a great day

[@tforceraven]

This really made me tear up. How can people do stuff like this?! I am so glad that she can now finally get the respect she deserves.

[@lhshnailed7523]

Horrible horrible story...poor girl. As a south african, the khoi-san people are a treasure and such an amazing people.saw u bentham! Thanks for sharing her story

[@onethirdofabrain]

This is so sad but thank you for covering her tragic story. RIP.

[@missfreakk1416]

Hers and Julia Pastrana's story are tragic and sad. Hope they got the peace they deserved after death. Hey, I can't remember if you have made an "iconic corpse" of the Hand of Alvaro Obregon. He's a Mexican ex-president with a hand that he lost... TWICE. Ask Sarah Chavez about it, I'd bet she knows tons about the story!

[@Iyana]

This does make me quite sad. =( I'm glad you covered her story in such a respectful way however.

[@calvinjamesmontgomery3865]

As a South African, I can only say how greatful I am to you and your veiwers for telling Saartjies story and giving her the respect she was denied in life. Thank you

[@sallyb.7717]

Thank you for doing such a humanising version of this important person. Your take on the situation really brought her humanity to the forefront.

[@cramerfloro5936]

Could you please do Ötzi (pronounced Ehtzi, while also shaping the mouth for an O). I know I've been asking for a long time, but till now the little citations of him haven't covered all there is about him

[@kirstenmyers8695]

I love the respect you show telling Saartjie's story. It says volumes about you as a person and a death educator. Have you ever done a segment on Elizabeth Bathory's victims?

[@GrandmaRose9000]

This is effing heartbreaking. Rest in peace Saartjie Baartman. I am so sorry for the hell you were forced to live through.

[@allipendragon1980]

Not many stories physically make me sick or effect me with as much sadness as Saartije's does. This is one of the most abhorrent treatments of a human being I have ever heard of. It breaks my heart to think that she knew literally nothing but sadness, pain, and sexual objectification, even after she passed away she STILL never got peace until recently. Thank you for sharing her story, because at least she can now be remembered as a human being in at least some corner of the world

[@lindseyspuria424]

This episode was so thoughtful and well-put together, I love how you manage to tell so many different types of Iconic Corpse stories, whether they’re fun ones like Hayden’s Head or dark but important ones like Saartjie's story. Also, quick request, would Catherine Parr count as an iconic corpse? I find it so interesting how when her coffin was opened she was found to be remarkably well-preserved, but she was reburied incorrectly so when it was opened again only her skeleton remained. (also she’s just an interesting historical figure)

[@rachelh682]

It’s not mentioned often but Cesar was a free black man. How could, he knowing what he did about life lived in captivity from his ancestry, do such a horrible thing?

[@mandypandy111ify]

Seriously? Wow, what a piece of shit.

[@thcu]

because money

[@ElanaVital83]

Because evil is evil. Doesn't matter the skin color.

[@tony_starch]

Misogyny probably played a role too

[@glitterlover3244]

Rachel Ulbrich many black people owned black slaves so he probubly didnt give much thought i mean it respectfully but he honestly probubly didnt think of her as human he probubly sepreated himself from her

[@Ladyp145]

Saartjie is such an important part of our history and to show how far we have come as a country. To think what was done to our fellow South Africans is so shameful.

[@michahallett4364]

You can just see the utter pain and sadness in her eyes even in the drawings..

[@Ilovevintage77]

This made me cry I am grateful for how graciously and delicately you handled this topic. Honoring her and giving her a voice finally when she could not speak for herself. May she finally be at peace. I am so sad that she was treated this way.

[@lovee17]

Not sure how accurate it is, but the movie Venus Noire is based on her life. It’s a depressing watch, but it does give her the human personality she deserved in life.

[@gymeni]

Thank you for bringing attention to this woman.

[@ashleywild5041]

Thank you for sharing this part of African history in a respectful and educational way. SUBSCRIBED!

[@angelasobmer7026]

😠😠😠😭😭😭 the reason they don't teach us about black history in school. Thank you

[@woomeebly]

There's a picture in the British national gallery that makes me distinctly uncomfortable seeing it. As the title of the subject matter of this particular picture explains, It depicts a white man raping a black woman, while his friends look on. As a woman it turned my stomach, and as a person of colour, it mortally offended me. It really spoiled my day when, on heading for the exit, I was catcalled by a male who happened to be white. I gave him both barrels, upon which he not only asked if I was gay but said he thought all women like being "complimented!" I refuse to set foot in the room until they remove that hateful picture.

[@rainbrownie9056]

They don’t like to get to deep into it don’t want to hurt anyone’s wittle feelings

[@Seawitch555]

@@woomeebly do you remember the name of it? i tried to see if it was still there but I couldn't find anything what the fuck makes someone want to hang something like that up?? that's not art jesus christ

[@sia8974]

They do but in no greater detail.

[@lisatheboywonder6744]

Omg I suggested this a long time ago. Thank you for doing this! Her story needs to be told cause she deserves to be recongized as a human being.

[@Mishkaiya]

Watching this did bring anger, but I am so relieved knowing that her remains were finally brought back to the Eastern Cape and given the respect that she deserved in life. Yup, I am in a "great" mood, but that's okay because I do like when these bits of history are discussed instead of hidden.

[@laurena9563]

Poor Saartjie; it just made my stomach turn hearing about what they did to her in life, and then in death? UGH. Not to mention the 'start' of a fine tradition of the sexualisation of black women as 'bodies' and not people by European society, or at least making it 'trendy'. Double UGH.

[@ebonyd4ever]

Thank you for uplifting Saartjie as a human being with feelings and a life before her exploitation.

[@adelinewurzer4533]

this makes me incredibly angry and sad. thank you for raising awareness about her!

[@ericabadenhorst2115]

Thank you for your correct pronunciation of Saartjies name. Big fan of your channel. Lots of love from South Africa.

[@artemakulov1660]

Your channel is like the ultimate guilty pleasure in our often death phobic, and sadly closed minded society. Thank you for who you are and what you do! Now, as a total nerd for all things science, space travel in particularly, I'm curious about the concept of burial in space. What kind of logistical challenges would one have to overcome to make that happen? Would the body have to be prepared in any specific way? Would the space casket have to be sealed to prevent the whole vacuum thing, or can you just wrap the body in linen and send it on it's way out of the airlock? Please do tell, our favorite mortician :)

[@namewithay]

An upload on the day I'm going to see you in Madison! Lucky me! Thanks for covering Saartjie.

[@roseshemory9773]

Benthams' head!

[@celialovett5880]

That always cracks me up!

[@tristanholderness4223]

I think she's already done Bentham

[@2509jacqueline]

Wooshhh

[@bexiah]

Watching this during lunch break, what a big mistake, I'm weeping and pissed rn. Thanks hun for sharing her story, I'm so glad that she's already got back in her home. May her soul rest in peace...

[@kaylinport7581]

Growing up in SA, I heard this story often, but every time I hear it it breaks my heart. So so sad.