1725. Native American Allies at the Court of Louis XV

From 25 November 2025 to 3 May 2026, the Palace of Versailles will revisit a little-known but crucial episode in Franco-Native American history: the visit to France of four Native American chiefs and one Native American woman from the Mississippi Valley. This diplomatic trip, organised against a backdrop of colonial rivalries between European powers, aimed to strengthen alliances between France and the indigenous nations of North America at a time when the French were establishing themselves in the vast region known as ‘Louisiana’.

The Mississippi Valley, cradle of powerful civilisations

The exhibition traces the stages of the visit of Native American chiefs from the Oto, Osage, Missouri and Illinois nations to France – to Paris, Versailles and Fontainebleau – in the autumn of 1725, at the joint request of the Compagnie des Indes and the young Louis XV.

Through ancient maps, rare portraits and ritual objects now preserved at the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, the exhibition reveals hierarchical, spiritual and warrior societies that are far removed from clichés. An 18th-century feather headdress, probably the oldest known, as well as painted skins offered to the French, adorned with powerful spirits such as thunderbirds, embody this symbolic richness.

A living memory

The contemporary mediation accompanying the event gives a voice to the descendants of these nations, who are members of the exhibition's scientific council. They discuss their current relationship with France, thus continuing the dialogue that began three centuries ago. An exhibition that is historical, sensitive and deeply human.

The journey continues in the exhibitions of Paris Region.