Premières Nations

Exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris, 29 September 2026 – 17 January 2027

The First Nations of the American Northwest developed, without agriculture or writing, complex sedentary societies based on an abundance of natural resources: salmon, whitefish, marine mammals and vast cedar forests. This wealth gave rise to a sophisticated way of life and an original way of thinking. Through their works and artefacts, these nations have revealed a world in which art, spirituality, history and memory are intertwined.

During the colonial period, these peoples saw their ceremonial practices banned, their sacred objects plundered and their social structures disrupted. Yet, for over half a century, an artistic and cultural revival has been gaining momentum. The Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka’wakw and other nations are reclaiming their heritage, blending tradition with modernity. Their art, once collected by Surrealists in exile in the United States, continues to inspire and fascinate more than ever.

In this exhibition catalogue, articulated masks, carved totem poles, woven chilkat cloaks and argilite pipes tell the story of a millennia-old tradition, characterised by symbolic motifs, ancestral narratives and a complex social organisation.