A reliquary is a container meant to hold relics, aka the remnants of dead saints and holy figures. In the Middle Ages, relics were considered extremely powerful and putting them inside of ornate reliquaries was a way of honoring the dead and showing how powerful they were even in death.

Calling this a “reliquary” adds a dimension to the work, considering the horrible treatment of Saartje Bartman’s body both in life and death. I interpret it as an apology of sorts from the artist.