CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES
The French Royal Collections from North America have crossed boundaries of cultures, geography, and time. The participation of Native American specialists in the research is essential to integrating new discourses and contemporary perspectives on these collections, highlighting their polyphonic history.
Don’t Fence Me In (Ganondagan Autumn)
In this video, Seneca artist Peter Jemison presents his painting Don’t Fence Me In (Ganondagan Autumn ) , acquired by the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in 2024. He discusses the historic site of Ganondagan, a former Seneca village destroyed by the French in 1687, and explores the profound connections between this land and the history and collective memory of the Seneca people. Through the landscapes, wildlife, and plant life of Ganondagan, Peter Jemison reflects on the…
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Bear Paw Moccasins
Ian Thompson examines a pair of moccasins made from bear paws, whose construction reflects a remarkable mastery of materials and tanning techniques. Through this object, he highlights the knowledge involved in its creation, as well as its cultural significance within the Choctaw community.
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Weaving Traditions with Bison Hair
Jennifer Byram, a specialist in Southeastern textiles, invites us to discover the secrets of a beaded bison-wool sash: the art of spinning, the interlacing of threads, and the meticulous gestures that bring this remarkable work to life.
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On Ancestors and Quillwork
Jamie Jacobs, a specialist in Seneca language and culture and Managing Curator of the Rock Foundation Collections at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, reflects on the relationship with ancestors through the objects and knowledge they have passed down through generations.
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The Bear Claw Necklace
Michael Galban, Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center and Site Manager of the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York, explores the meaning of a bear claw necklace through the traces of its making and the stories embedded in the object. He sheds light on the notions of courage and symbolic power associated with this ornament within certain Indigenous communities.
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From Paris to Oklahoma (March 2024)
In March 2024, after welcoming our partners from the Choctaw, Quapaw, Miami, and Peoria Nations to Paris in the spring and autumn of 2023, we crossed the Atlantic to visit them on their own lands. Over months of collaboration around the collections held at the Musée du quai Branly- Jacques Chirac and other Parisian institutions, their ancestral homelands had become a constant point of reference in our conversations. We wanted to experience these places firsthand, meet their communities now…
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Interview with Michael Galban. A look back at the Wampum / Otgoä exhibition
Michael Galban, a curator of the "Wampum / Otgoä" exhibition, an in-depth exploration of the history and culture of wampum, shares his thoughts on the presence of this exhibition at the Seneca Art & Culture Center, and its role in the renewal of intercultural relations between Indigenous nations, Canada and France. Michael will tell us about the diplomatic and spiritual impact of this project, which marked a turning-point for the Center, which he heads.
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Exhibition « Wampum / Otgoä »
The Wampum / Otgoä exhibit is the culmination of three hundred years of relationship building and the past four years of collaboration. This unique and unprecedented partnership between Ganondagan, the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (Paris) and the McCord Museum (Montreal) will weave a friendship between peoples and across time. Perhaps more importantly, it will pave the way for future collaborations between European and Native American Indigenous museums that are mutually…
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Behind the Scenes of the Choctaw Video for the Exhibit “An Inquisitive Prince”
Although the “An Inquisitive Prince” exhibit at Versailles closed in December 2021, our teams are still working together to further understand the items in the collection. Currently, we are working on a plan to bring items from the royal collection to the Choctaw Nation for a temporary exhibit at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, Oklahoma. But before these items arrive stateside, we want to reflect on our collaboration with the musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac thus far and share how…
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Halito [Hello]
In 2017, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Historic Preservation Research Associate Jennifer Byram reached out to the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac to inquire about possible Choctaw items in their museum collections. This outreach to institutions was part of creating the Chahta Imponna Database, a virtual collection of skilled works that showcases Choctaw production techniques not commonly in use and that are held in museum collections in the United States and internationally.
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