The class of BTS CI 1A and their English teacher Mathieu Weiler went to the Quai Branly the the 7th of January 2023 to visit the exhibition BLACK INDIANS with a guide.
Here you will find some comments of some students.
“The African-American carnival in New Orleans is a powerful unifying tool, a source of pride and collective identity. By appropriating the street and public space, the communities affirm their presence and their belonging to the city. Each group leader designs and makes his or her own garment, in consultation with the rest of the community. Each costume can only be worn once. The costumes are made by hand and with great care. During the marches, two chiefs confront each other during dances or simulated fights, and at the end, one of them recognizes the superiority of the other’s beauty, and bows.
The outfits mix decorations, embroidered or painted figurative scenes, and symbols of belonging to various communities: feathers, West African masks, biblical scenes of Amerindian inspiration, they were originally made of bird feathers, fish scales, organic materials. Today, synthetic fabrics have replaced skins, and the costumes are decorated with cowries, sequins and multicolored fabrics and feathers. Also, the costumes must be as beautiful in the front as in the back. They are designed to be eye-catching. The backs are also full of details and scenes. The scenes often represent moments in the history of people of color, scenes of persecution or conversely of bravery. They are testimonies of history and common memory.”
