This international symposium is organized on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition “1725: Native American Allies at the Court of Louis XV,” held as part of the CROYAN project at the Château de Versailles, from November 25, 2025, to May 3, 2026. The symposium is held with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Rock Foundation.
Since 2019, the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac has coordinated the CRoyAN project (French Royal Collections from North America), developed in collaboration with several French institutions and Native North American nations. This multidisciplinary and collaborative research focuses on the study and enhancement of a corpus of nearly 350 objects collected in the 17th and 18th centuries from what is now Canada and the United States, during the period of New France.
An initial collaboration was carried out between 2019 and 2024 with members of the Seneca, Mohawk, Abenaki, and Huron-Wendat Nations, focusing on collections from Northeastern North America.This work led to a touring exhibition “Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy in New France”, shown at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (2022), the Seneca Art & Culture Center in Victor, New York (2023), and the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal (2023–2024).
A second project, titled “Reconnecting: Objects, Historical Memory and Territories of the Choctaw, Quapaw, Peoria and Miami Nations in the period of French Louisiana (1673-1763)” was launched in 2023. It involves collaboration with the key allies of the French in the Mississippi Valley during the 18th century: the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Quapaw Nation, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
All French and Native American partners involved in the CRoyAN project will be invited to share the results of the research conducted within this framework, or to offer a critical reflection on this nearly six-year-long collaborative experience. Additional colleagues who have recently led or participated in major collaborative projects in museums in the United States and Canada will present their methodologies and the concrete outcomes of these initiatives. Their presentations will provide an opportunity for dialogue between North American and French specialists, with the aim of examining methodological and institutional differences between the countries involved. This will foster a collective reflection on the future of collaborative approaches, both in scientific research and within museums.
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
WEDNESDAY November 19, Morning
Collaborative Research with the Choctaw, Miami, Peoria and Quapaw Nations
Moderator: Jessica de Largy, Research Fellow at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
• Talk 1: Visiting with Ancestral Art: Minohsayaki (Painted Robes) at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
- Elizabeth Ellis, Associate Professor of History at Princeton University and Tribal History Liaison for the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
- George Ironstrack, Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
- Logan York, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
• Talk 2: What Can We Learn from an Arrow? Archaeology, Material Culture and Cultural Revitalization
- Marie Adamski, Collections Documentation Officer, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
- Everett Bandy, Executive Director of Culture for the Quapaw Nation
- Ian Thompson, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Senior Director of the Historic Preservation Department, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
• Talk 3: Exploring Choctaw Country in the 18th Century and Today: An Insight from French Colonial Maps
- Benjamin Balloy, Research Fellow at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
- Catherine Hofmann, Head of Legal Deposit and Heritage Collections, Maps and Plans Department, Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Ryan Spring, Cultural Research Associate, Historic Preservation Department, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
November 19, Afternoon
Collaborative Perspectives on Exhibition and Conservation Practices
Moderator: Michael Dieminger, Scientific Advisor and Curator, Humboldt Forum Foundation in Berlin
• Talk 4: Divergences and Convergencse: A Dialogue about the Conservation of Haudenosaunee Collections
- Jamie Jacobs, Managing Curator of the Rock Foundation Collections, Rochester Museum and Science Center
- Eléonore Kissel, Head of Conservation and Restoration Unit, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Talk 5: From Collection to Community: The CROYAN Project's Wampum Exhibition in Paris, New York, Ganondagan and Montreal
- Michael Galban, Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center and Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, New York
- Jonathan Lainey, Curator of the Indigenous Cultures Collections, McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal
- Paz Núñez-Regueiro, Head Curator of the Americas, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Talk 6: 1725-2025: How to Talk about Colonial History in the Palace of Versailles?
- Elizabeth Ellis, Associate Professor of History at Princeton University and Tribal History Liaison for the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
- Jonas Musco, PhD Candidate at EHESS, Research Fellow for the CRoyAN Project, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Sharing Collections, Co-Writing History: Roundtable Discussion with all participants
Moderator: Michael Galban, Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center and Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, New York
THURSDAY November 20, Morning:
International Dialogues on Collaborative Practices within Indigenous North American Contexts
Moderator: Leandro Varison, Deputy Director of the Research and Education Department, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Talk 7: Kodiak and Boulogne-sur-Mer: A 20-Year Collaboration on the Sugpiat Collection
- Sven Haakanson, Curator, Burke Museum and Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle
- Elikya Kandot, Museums Director, City of Boulogne-sur-Mer
• Talk 8: Between Rights and Creation: A Haudenosaunee Voice on Contemporary Art and the Return of Collections
- Peter Jemison, Cultural Worker, Artist and former Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center and Site Manager of Ganondagan, Victor, New York
- Paz Núñez-Regueiro, Head Curator of the Americas, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Talk 9: Developing an Indigenous Initiative at the Newberry Library: The Indigenous Chicago Project
- Analú María López, Ayer Librarian and Assistant Curator of American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Newberry Library, Chicago
- Maëlle Maltaire, Head of Periodical Publications, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
- Elodie Saget, Head of Sound and Audiovisual Collections and Cataloging Coordination, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
• Talk 10: Kwik̓waladła̱kw, “Things that are Hidden”: Living Heritage and the Integration of the Sacred in a Museum Context
- Mike Willie, Teacher, Ritualist and Ecotourism Entrepreneur
- Quentin Ehrmann-Curat, Postdoctoral Fellow, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
scientifiC / ORGANIZATION COMMITEE
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Jonas Musco, PhD Candidate at EHESS, Research Fellow for the CRoyAN Project, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
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Paz Núñez-Regueiro, Senior Curator, Head of the Americas Unit and CRoyAN Project Coordinator, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Coordination
- Anna Gianotti Laban, Head Coordinator of Scientific Events, Research and Education Department, Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
With the support of The French Ministry of Culture, The Terra Foundation for American Art and the Rock Foundation and the Consulate General of France in Vancouver.
The CRoyAN project has received the support of the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine.
In English with simulaneous translation into French.
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Free entry (subject to available places)
- Place: Théâtre Claude Lévi-Strauss
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TimeSlots:
Wednesday 19 November 2025 from 09:30 to 18:30
Thursday 20 November 2025 from 09:30 to 13:00 -
Accessibility:
- Handicap moteur
- Public: Researcher, student, All publics
- Categorie : Symposia
