Gradhiva n°40,
"The Nations of the Great River. A Shared History of French Colonial Louisiana"
In 1682, the Kingdom of France proclaimed possession of the Mississippi Valley, establishing the colony of “Louisiana.” Yet the history of this territory cannot be reduced to the story of French colonial expansion in North America alone. For several decades, Native American Nations remained at the heart of the region’s political, diplomatic, and cultural balances, actively shaping the relationships, movements, and exchanges that developed there.
This issue offers a renewed perspective on French Louisiana through the study of rare and still underused sources: historical maps, archival documents, written accounts, as well as objects created in the 18th century by Indigenous artists, several of which are unique works now preserved in France. Examined through an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, these sources reveal the vitality and complexity of Native American societies and highlight their central role in the history of this territory.
Bringing together French and Indigenous researchers, including scholars and cultural specialists from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Quapaw Nation, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, this collection of essays brings disciplines, languages, and memories into dialogue around a shared goal: offering a pluralistic interpretation of 18th-century Louisiana and of the tangible and intangible heritage associated with it.
Beyond historical analysis, several contributors also examine the contemporary significance of these collections and archives within current processes of cultural revitalization, whether through language renewal, artistic practices, traditional knowledge, or relationships with the environment. Bringing together scientific research and contemporary Indigenous perspectives, this issue reveals a history that remains alive—continuously transmitted, reclaimed, and reinterpreted.
English translation available online.
n° 40, published online on November 19, 2025
© musée du quai Branly–Jacques Chirac
Contributors
Elizabeth ELLIS
Associate Professor of History at Princeton University, Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma)
Frédérique SERVAIN-RIVIALE
Researcher in the History of the Collections, Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac
Ryan L. SPRING
Research Specialist for the Historic Preservation Department, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Ian THOMPSON
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Senior Director of the Historic Preservation Department, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Logan YORK
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Interview
Joseph T. BYRD
Indigenous affairs, artist, and advocate
Archives
Benjamin BALLOY
Research Fellow, CNRS
Miscellany
Philippe ERIKSON
Professor of Anthropology at the University of Paris-Nanterre
Notes and Reports
Sophie GERGAUD
Programme Curator and Independent Researcher
Marie MAUZÉ
Emeritus Research Director, CNRS
Access the Journal’s Articles Online
The Nations of the Great River. A Shared History of French Colonial Louisiana by Jonas MUSCO and Paz NÚÑEZ-REGUEIRO
An Archaeology of the Knowledge Produced about the Native Americans of Louisiana by Gilles HAVARD
Reconstructing the History of Native American Items from French Colonial Louisiana in French Collections (18th to 21st centuries) by Paz NÚÑEZ REGUEIRO, Frédérique SERVAIN-RIVIALE and Ian THOMPSON
Ancestral Objects, Homelands, and Stories: A Miami Perspective by
George IRONSTRACK
Sovereignty, Nations, and Diplomacy: the French and Native American Alliances in Louisiana by Jonas MUSCO, Elizabeth ELLIS and Ryan SPRING
Matachées: Painted Hides, Indigenous Nations, and French Colonial Encounters along the Mississippi Valley by Paz NÚÑEZ-REGUEIRO, Everett BANDY, George IRONSTRACK, Jonas MUSCO, Ian THOMPSON and Cécile DAHER
Cultural Revitalization in our Communities Today: Why it Matters, How it is Achieved, and Where it Leads by Everett BANDY, Elizabeth ELLIS, George IRONSTRACK, Ryan SPRING, Ian THOMPSON and Logan YORK
An Interview with Joseph T. Byrd. “Robes of Splendor”: Memories of an Encounter in Quapaw Homeland by Jonas MUSCO and Paz NÚÑEZ-REGUEIRO
Visual and Textual Records of Choctaw Country from the First Half of the 18th Century by Benjamin BALLOY
Neil Diamond, the Trickster Spirit by Sophie GERGAUD
“Garmentless and guileless to a ‘T’”. The Translator and the Tupinambas in the Graphic Novel Antipodes by Philippe ERIKSON
Faire entendre la voix des peuples autochtones à l’American Museum of Natural History by Marie MAUZÉ
