BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Recently uncovered Chinese pioneer bones were given a proper burial at Union Cemetery Monday morning. This isn’t the first time it’s happened.

In the 1800s, present-day Belle Terrace was the burial site for Chinese pioneers.

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Scattered across a nameless plot, 261 skeletons were unearthed and relocated to Union Cemetery in the 1950s.

“They thought they got everything, but the field was such that there were areas that they didn’t think anybody was there, and then they built homes there,” said Norman Lum, a descendent of Chinese pioneers.

The relocation came during the growth of Belle Terrace, which continues into this century.

New homes, irrigation checks and backyard pool projects have all unearthed new bones of unnamed pioneers.

Each recovery prompted proper burial.

“For Chinese traditional ceremonies, it’s basically a remembrance of somebody. Although we are sad, we are also happy to send them off to a different journey,” said Dr. Patrick Leung, an elder of the Ying On Association.

This is something that wouldn’t be possible without the work of the Ying On Association, and those within the Chinese community, who dedicate time to properly bury any new remains found.

“It’s only a showing of respect to our ancestors, that these people get a proper burial. We don’t know who they are, but they’re still part of our history and ancestry,” said Lum.

For those at the burial Monday, it’s a chance to show respect and remember the work of early pioneers.

“They are the one that paved the road, paved the path for us to be here. We did not have to go through all the hard work they did. We did not have to go through all the discrimination or the difficulty and challenges they had to go through,” said Leung. 

A traditional Chinese ceremony emphasizes remembrance and celebration. 

Flowers, incense, candles and food all laid out of respect for whoever it is that didn’t get the chance to be put to rest respectfully.

“This is part of the history of Kern County, this is not just the history of the Chinese,” said Leung.

The bones remind of the impact Chinese immigrants had on the growth of California.

“All over the west there’s been Chinese communities in a lot of small towns, and they contributed to the history and the prosperity of all these western states,” said Lum.

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And although it isn’t certain how many bones remain scattered in Belle Terrace, it is certain that proper ceremony awaits whoever is uncovered.

“So this may not be the last time, but we will still pay them their respects,” said Leung.

In Bakersfield, Andres Armenta, 17news.

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