Museums and Renewed Relations: Choctaw-French Nations of the Eighteenth Century and Present

Abstract

In a recent exhibit, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, and Bibliothèque Municipale de Versailles worked together to learn more about the museum’s royal Americas collection which features items from numerous Indigenous communities. Collected by French explorers during the eighteenth century and later displayed in royal curiosity cabinets, these items have not been seen by Choctaw communities since they left the continent. This collaboration has culminated in the “La Curiosité d’un Prince” exhibit, which features a room curated by Choctaw Nation. This article shows how a joint initiative to study the collection gave voice to the relationships and material histories inherent in the items. Reflecting on this less-known historical period, this collaboration has reinvigorated Choctaw-French relations and allowed Choctaw Nation to showcase the richness and complexity of its sovereignty—which is often narrowly understood through its relationship with the United States. By providing an example of true collaboration that has spurred new research and writing on both the cultural and political knowledge contained in the objects held in France, we demonstrate the potential for relationships and knowledge inherent in museum collections to act as a platform for new expressions of Indigenous sovereignty.