04 Oct 2022 15 Jan 2023

Black Indians from New Orleans

A tribute to the extraordinary creativity of the African Americans of Louisiana through the Black Indians parades. When the memory of slave ancestors meets that of the Amerindian communities.

About the exhibition

The museum will be open until 10pm on January 12, 13, 14, 15 2023.

“If you go to New Orleans, you ought to go see the Mardi Gras” sings Professor Longhair in his signature song, Mardi Gras in New Orleans (1949). For if there is one event that embodies the identity of New Orleans, it is its carnival, with its floats and bands. Alongside these festivities, inherited from the French colonial era, a long overlooked tradition has continued for more than 150 years: the spectacular parades of Black Indians, with their magnificent costumes decorated with beads, sequins and feathers.

These parades – become mainstream thanks to David Simon's series Treme (HBO) – are a powerful social and cultural marker for African Americans in Louisiana. Led by the drums and songs of the Big Chiefs and Queens from some forty "tribes", they celebrate the memory of two oppressed peoples. They bear witness to the black community’s resistance to the prohibitions of racial segregation and to the Mardi Gras festivities from which it was once largely excluded, while paying tribute to the Amerindian communities that took in runaway slaves in the bayous.

Via a geographical and chronological journey featuring interviews, contemporary costumes and traditional works, the exhibition reveals a singular culture, built by more than three centuries of resistance against the assault of social and racial domination, still present today.

This exhibition is organized by the Quai Branly -Jacques Chirac Museum  with the invaluable support of the of the Louisiana State Museum.

Visitor tools

Visitor tools are available to download:

  • CURATOR

    Steve Bourget, Head of America collections, musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris

    ASSOCIATE CURATOR

    Kim Vaz-Deville, Professor, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

    PARTNER

    Karen T. Leathem, Historian, Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans

  • Place:   Galerie Jardin
  • TimeSlots:  
    From Tuesday 04 October 2022 at Sunday 15 January 2023
  • Closed on monday
    Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  10:30 am-07:00 pm
    Thursday:  10:30 am-10:00 pm
  • Accessibility:
    • Handicap visuel
    • LSF
    • Handicap mental
    • Handicap moteur
  • Public:   All publics
  • Categorie : Exhibitions
  • Keywords:   Amérique du Nord, Louisiana (état)
  • Museum ticket entrance
    Full price:  14,00 €
    Reduce rate:  11,00 €

    Click here to see all rates
00:00 / 00:00
[Translate to Anglais:] Affiche de l'exposition Black Indians de La Nouvelle-Orléans

Around the event

Guided tours, workshops, concerts, etc.
all activities organized as part of the event

Around the event

Under the patronage of :

  • Citi

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