First Nations. Arts and cultures of Northwestern America
When: 26.09.2026 11:30
Where: 48.861497, 2.297733
Organizer: Admin
The First Nations of the American Northwest developed, without agriculture or writing, complex sedentary societies based on the abundance of natural resources: salmon, candlefish, marine mammals, and vast cedar forests. This wealth allowed an elaborate way of life and an original way of thinking.
Their art, deeply linked to their worldview, stages prodigious beings and spirit animals such as Raven, creator and ancestor of the clans. These figures, guarantors of stories and ancestral rights, adorn heraldic masts (totems), houses, masks, clothing, and everyday objects. Their production follows precise symbolic and stylistic rules, making this art a sacred language.
In the 18ᵉ century, during the first contacts with Europeans, these peoples formed a mosaic of clans where lineage was most often transmitted through women. Rights, knowledge, and obligations structured a vast social network that connected communities far beyond the scope of each village.
Their thought and creations have profoundly marked anthropologists and artists, from Boas and Lévi Strauss to surrealists like Max Ernst and André Breton. Today, their artistic and spiritual traditions remain alive, testifying to an exceptional heritage.
Tags: art, lecture, culture
Source: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/premieres-nations-arts-et-cultures-du-nord-ouest-de-l-amerique-117759
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