The Palace of Versailles and the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac are presenting a new exhibition devoted to the visit by Native American allies to the court of Versailles. In 1725, four Native American chiefs and a Native American woman from the Mississippi valley were received in France on a diplomatic mission and met Louis XV. The exhibition retraces this memorable encounter and explores the links between France and the Indigenous nations of North America in the 18th century.

The origins of an alliance At the turn of the 18th century, the Mississippi valley was a space structured around powerful Native American societies. These nations were organised along hierarchical, war and spiritual lines, and chiefs’ prestige was demonstrated by objects of power such as feather headdresses, which are probably among the oldest in the world.

A contemporary map and old 18th-century maps show that these nations had already been associated with the French since the Great Peace of Montreal of 1701, a historic treaty which sealed the first diplomatic alliance. Indigenous peoples’ lifestyles followed the seasons, alternating between farming and hunting. Their connection with the living world was also spiritual and was mediated by their genuine social relationships with “other-than-human” beings such as thunderbirds, powerful spirits that were notably depicted on the hides presented to the French as diplomatic gifts.

a diplomatic trip In 1724, the Company of the Indies, which oversaw trade between mainland European France and its colonies, made the unusual suggestion of inviting Indigenous chiefs to the court of Louis XV. Étienne Véniard de Bourgmont approached several nations: the Oto, Osage, Missouri, and Illinois. Precious diplomatic missives, some of which were translated by Jesuit missionaries such as Nicolas-Ignace de Beaubois, document their reply. Despite a shipwreck, which prevented some delegations from setting off, four chiefs and the daughter of a Missouri chief set sail in the spring of 1725, and were treated as genuine ambassadors from the moment they left.

Their arrival in France marked the beginning of a diplomatic trip taking in Paris, Versailles and Fontainebleau. The Mercure de France followed their progress every step of the way: formal audiences, meetings with princes of the blood, and tours of royal residences. The most solemn moment occurred on 25 November 1725, when Louis XV granted the chiefs an audience: harangues and gestures dictated by protocol demonstrated their mutual respect.

This meeting left a lasting mark on French culture. Inspired by the dance performed by two chiefs on the stage at the Comédie italienne, Jean-Philippe Rameau composed the famous “Danse des Sauvages” for his opera Les Indes galantes. This reflects the cultural impact made by the delegation, which is not often highlighted today.

the exhibition The establishment of the colony of Louisiana cemented the relationship between the French and their Indigenous allies. A cultural dialogue developed, giving rise to hybrid objects with both European and Native American elements: tomahawks decorated with fleurs de lys, necklaces made from imported beads, European knives in Indigenous sheaths. Richly-decorated peace pipes became symbols of this joint diplomacy.

During the trip, the delegation was invited to join a royal hunt. The guests took part in their own style, on foot and armed with bows. Exchanges of gifts – peace pipes, headdresses, bows, and gold medals – set the seal on this meeting. The exhibition presents these objects, accompanied by portraits of the principle figures, including a Native American from the Miami people which has never been displayed in France before. An alternative picture of these societies emerges from a series of works on special loan from the Musée du Quai Branly, which is at odds with colonial narratives.

At the end of the tour, there is an audio mediation with Native American members of the Scientific committee for the exhibition. They talk about the enduring memory of this alliance and the way in which it is reflected in current relationships between the French and their nations.