Black Indians from New Orleans -- exhibit at the Quai Branly, Jacques Chirac Museum

Most Parisians still call it the Quai Branly Museum (and the URL of the museum is still m.quaibranly.fr). Then it was known also as the Musée des Arts Premiers (Primal (as in "first", not "Primitive" after a short period of "Arts Primatifs") and it was finally named in honor of Jacques Chirac, who was the instigator of its creation and a great collector. It has great permanent collections from Asia, Oceania, the Americas, and Africa. Many items should probably be returned to their countries of origin, leaving many that were purchased and can stay. 

This exhibit is extraordinary. It's far more vast than just New Orleans and it's far more vast than just the Black Indians and the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs (SPAC) in New Orleans, today. To start, there are maps of the Native American villages along the Mississippi valley before the Europeans arrived. There are maps showing the expeditions of the French explorers as they traveled across the Atlantic and then down the Mississippi, finally establishing the settlement in New Orleans. There is a room devoted to the slave trade, the boats, the conditions suffered during the Middle Passage and the accounting of how many people per ship and how many were lost. The French kept good accounts! 

The exhibits show art and artifacts from the Native American tribes, from Africa, and even the glass beads from Venice that were the currency of the slave trade. 

Then there are the rules under which slaves were held - le Code Noir, associated with Colbert, then Secretary of the Navy. Writing it was actually finished by his son. There were different versions for the French territories. All the slaves were to be Catholic, for example, and had Sundays off. In contrast to the British colonies, there was no rule against comingiling among the slaves and with the Native Americans, many of whom were also slaves in the first years of colonization. On Sundays, they would meet in what became Congo Place. They could speak their languages, play their music, especially the drums, and dance. Their cultures survived. 

Some images are just too graphic to stomach. In paintings and, later, photographs show the conditions under which the slaves were held and punished.

The Seven Years War, known to Americans as the French-Indian War, brought about monumental changes. Louisiana became Spanish, Canada became English. This was in 1765 and in 1800, Spain returned most of Louisiana (minus the Texas part) to France. France, under Napoleon, sold Louisiana to the United States in 1803. 

Under U.S. rule, New Orleans became the slave trade capital of the country. Living conditions for the slaves became even harsher. There is a room devoted to emancipation and to the Jim Crow laws, the rise of the KKK.

Throughout these rooms that go through the history of the Black population in the French territory and pinpointing New Orleans, there are magnificent contemporary costumes of the chiefs that they wear during the Second Line parades. If you click on the images to enlarge them, I hope you can read the information cards. Also, look carefully and the images embroidered on the costumes' fronts; they tell a story. The final room, where many costumes are assembled, is about the SPACs and there is a short film about them. (In fact, there are short films about all different aspects of the exhibit, throughout, but this one was on a big screen and had better seating.)

This exhibit, created by the Musée Jacques Chirac, merits traveling around the world and especially around the United States. 

Goings and Comings

Okay, last time I wrote, I had just picked up J & E at the airport, dropped them off at their apartment and was watching the Tour de France on TV. What I enjoy about the Tour de France is the helicopter view of the sights to see along the route. The Tour ended yesterday and went very close by, in Fontenay sous Bois. I could have walked over to see it go by as we did several years ago when it went by just down the street. But, on the last day, they don't really race until they get to Paris, so it's more like a friendly parade of bicycles, not very exciting. After lunch, I just sat down and started knitting. The clouds started to build up again, so that by the time the Tour got under way in Créteil, I didn't feel like hiking up the hill to the nearest viewpoint. I watched on TV as they wound their way along a very zig-zagging route, crossing the Seine and the Marne several times, so that you would think we live in a zone with five or six rivers. They finally crossed into Le Perreux, went through the center  of town, down to the big intersection that leads to Nogent, but took the avenue into Fontenay, up the hill and then along the crest until they headed back down into Vincennes, around the Chateau de Vincennes, the zoo, and along the edge of the Bois in Charenton into Paris. They crossed over to the left bank and then back to the right bank at the Louvre, where they finally started racing for their 8 loops on the Champs-Elysées. It's nice recognizing all the landmarks of home along the way, via the helicopter.
Last week, on Sunday, I met up with other Girls High classmates and their husbands. First, I met with A² (That's for A and A) at the Museum of Jewish Art and History. A's family is related to the Dreyfus family, so she was particularly interested in Dreyfus affair exhibit and in the family photo album they had on display. I got her the email address of the person in charge of the that exhibit for her to contact. Then, J and E joined us for a nice walk back to their place via the rue des Rosiers (jam-packed with tourists), a bit of the Ile Saint-Louis, Ile de la Cité, Rue de Seine with the art galleries, and then rue Jacob. J and A were tempted by the Ladurée macarons, but came quickly out of the shop, struck with ticker shock. (Here's a recipe, in French!).
J & E are in a fifth floor attic walk-up. It's delightful -- lots of light and intelligent use of space. We rested and chatted for about an hour and then headed, on foot to Firmin le Barbier. I had been there with the Ps in June and can confirm that it is a very good place to eat. However, I will now give it a rest.

in the Yitzhak Rabin Park, across from the BNF,
before the movie

Starting Monday, I went out to Verrières to spend some time in English with Eléonore and Maxime. We played Monopoly, conversing in English, Go Fish, and other games. P-F was just in from Shanghai and took us all out to eat for lunch. I got to talk to Nadine a bit. Tuesday, I took the kids into Paris. The idea was to go to the Musée d'Orsay, but, in spite of the downpour and cold, the line serpentined in front of the museum (that's already an hour's wait) and continued around the block all the way back to the Seine on the rue Solferino! Crazy! So, we went to the Musée du Quai Branly, where we saw the Maya exhibit and the "Americas" section of the permanent exhibit. On Wednesday, we played scabble and did a little grammar review on verbs. We also watched To Kill a Mockingbird. I missed an appointment in Paris and was late for the second appointment! I guess I was just tired, so Thursday, I took the day off and on Friday, I took them back into Paris to see the new Harry Potter movie, V.O. and 3D! I drove them back home and once back in Nogent it was almost time to turn around to go to Louis and Gwen's for dinner with her parents and niece, Lya.
A lazy weekend and Emma arrived for an undetermined length of stay on Sunday evening. As usual, it's great to see her.

The Williams's visit

Eric arrived on his school exchange trip in mid-June. He was in Lyons and had a great time in spite of some really cold and rainy weather. Tobi and Jon arrived on the 25th and brought the sun with them. In fact, they brought a bit of a heat wave, which, in our non-air-conditioned house, was pushing it a bit far. We all managed well. We even went to the movies to seek air-conditioning. We saw "Babes", which Tobi and I thought was very cute, but that's probably our mother status coming out. Jon and Eric seemed more indifferent to it.
Getting back to their arrival on the 25th. Most of the day got lost in a long nap, but they were up and bright and cheerful for dinner, so I invited the Pachters over. They had met Jon at the wedding last year. I had made some carrot soup according to Gillette's recipe and had enough in the freezer to defrost for the first course. That was good; followed by roast chicken and potatoes and salad; cheese and then a raspberry/rhubarb crumble with berries and rhubarb from our own garden.

Saturday, we spent a relaxing morning in Nogent and after lunch, we went to the Musée des Arts Premier (Quai Branly) and saw the permanent exhibit on African masks and then the temporary exhibit on contemporary Indian art. There was a little live music and it was very pleasant. What was especially pleasant was finding a really convenient parking space behind the museum. Our idea, originally, was to go from the museum across the Seine to the terrace restaurant at the Palais de Tokyo, but there was some urban sports thing going on -- extremely loud music and basketball hoops -- so we walked to the Place d'Alma and back across the Seine to the car and went to Montparnasse for dinner in a Moules-Frites restaurant on rue de la Gaïté -- nothing great. They had the world cup on, of course. After dinner, we headed towards Eric's hotel to pick him up. We got there early and saw the end of the US-Ghana game (I think it was that one). The US lost.

Sunday, we stuck close to home, just going out for a walk along the Marne in the afternoon. Eric needed a little down time after two weeks of intensive tourism. We did have dinner with Anne at the pub in Fontenay, which was alright. The service was slow, certainly due to the World Cup game on.
Monday, we went to Giverny to see Monet's house and gardens. The flowers are magnificent in this season. We had lunch in the same very nice restaurant I went to with the Pickars last year. I think it's the Musardière. As you come out of the Monet museum onto the street, turn right and walk down the road. The restaurant is on the left where the road turns right a bit. They have a big terrace to the side.
We finished lunch in good time and decided we had enough time to go to Chartres! The country roads were relatively empty and we made good time, visited the cathedral for a short visit and got back to Paris in very good time. We walked around the Latin Quarter for a while and then settled in at "Chez Clément" at Place St. Michel to wait for Louis, Gwen, Anne, and Paul for dinner. Chez Clément is good, but not exciting. We were there for a family get-together.
On Tuesday, Tobi and Eric went to Disneyland and Jon went to see an exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Bibliothèque Nationale, F. Mitterand. I spent the afternoon at the library.

We headed off to Normandy on Wednesday after Paul picked up Nadine and the kids at the airport on their return from China. He got caught in traffic, so it was later than I had hoped to get out. We got to the American cemetary at Omaha Beach just a little before closing. They've changed the visit there. Now you go through a visitors' center introduction exhibit that leads out to the beach and you see the cemetary at the end. I think I prefer the impact of entering the cemetary first, before going to the beach. Still, it is moving. We were there when they sounded taps when they were taking down the second flag. Not a sound from any of the visitors who all stood still. We found a hotel in Bayeux and had dinner at a place recommended in the Michelin Green Guide -- very decorative and very tasty.

The next morning we started with a visit to the Bayeux tapestry, which is much improved since the last time I visited. The audio guide is good and the tapestry is well-lit and easy to see and examine. Then, on to Arromanches for the visit to the D-Day museum describing how the British brought over their port. Still interesting. And you still see the vestiges out on the horizon and on the beach. Tobi and Eric took a walk on the beach at low tide. By the time they turned around, the water was starting to surround the cement blocks and by the time we finished in the museum it was high tide and you could hardly see the openings in the blocks. After lunch we headed to Le Haras du Pin to arrive just in time for the Thursday show. I took a bunch of pictures, but I think they are the same as the ones I took just a few years ago! We got home and Paul joined us for dinner at the Moroccan restaurant down the block.

Friday and Saturday were lazy days, but on Sunday we went to Provins for the day: visited the Tithe Barn, Caesar's Tower, the Rose Garden and all the walking to and fro. We had a very disappointing meal at La Villa Rosa on the Place du Chatel. First the waiter could not seem to get our order straight, although I was the one giving it and the people at the table next to us assured me that they had understood it (it wasn't because I was loud, it was because I had to keep repeating everything!) Then, when Jon presented his card to pay (and NOT the Amex card), the waiter couldn't figure out how to swipe it and refused to take it. I don't know how they are going to handle other American tourists who might not have the advantage of traveling with someone who has a French card. They were rude; the cooked food was not very good; there were only four tiny bites of lamb on each persons brochette; the potatoes were lukewarm and the service terrible.
Today Tobi, Jon and I went into Paris while Eric stayed home. We took the RER to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs Elysées with a stop at Louis Vuitton, where we went up to the cultural center and I said a quick hello to Claire's friend, Catherine. After lunch we continued down the avenue and crossed over the Seine via the Alexander III bridge to continue our way to the Rodin Museum, which we found out was closed today, but there was a big Christian Dior event going on there and we got caught in the paperazzi. We caught a cab and went straight to Notre Dame and then came home. We're a bit washed out. One more meal -- along the Marne -- tonight and tomorrow, I'll take them to the airport. Then, we'll get ready for our trip to England next week!

Catching up

en français après le trait ----------
I keep putting writing my blog off -- just like I used to put off writing letters, so the objective of having this blog reflect my letter writing of the past is acheived. I guess I had imagined I'd do a better job of it.
Paul and I went to the Quai Branly museum, which is also known as the Musée des Arts Primaires, or the Musée des civilisations de l'océanie, l'asie, l'afrique et des amériques. It's what used to be called primative art, except that it finally dawned on the specialists that it was not so primative.
This is the newest museum, built between the Eiffel Tower and the Pont d'Alma. It has some greenery growing on the facade and there's a nice garden to walk through. It doesn't take up all of the site it was built on, so the buildings on the street behind it still benefit from the light and the view. I remember the buildings that used to be there that blocked out everything. It's very near the American library, so I guess I'll be going back some time soon.
From the outside, it's very modern and you'd expect it to be well organized and user-friendly inside. You'd expect it, but we were somewhat disappointed. It starts out well enough with the ticket booths outside, well away from the entrance to the museum. The security gate at the entrance is no different from what you find at other museums. Then, you find yourself in a vast empty lobby. The permanent exhibit is up a ramp. It's a long ramp and it's too steep for wheelchairs. That doesn't make it easy for people having any trouble walking. There's no place to stop; there's nothing to see that might give you an excuse to be slow. We didn't have any trouble, but we weren't the oldest people visiting on this weekday. I didn't see signs leading to an elevator in the lobby.
At the top of the ramp you are in the center of the museum. It's not too clear what you are expected to do first. We went straight into the "Océanie" section. When I was in school, we learned that Australia was a continent and I don't think we ever classified all those Pacific islands. In France, Océanie includes Australia, New Zealand, New Calidonia, Polynesia, and the other South Pacific islands. The exhibit is not based on geography, but on culture, so you're not looking at everything from this island, then that island, but rather everything concerning this kind of rite or occupation, then another. It's interesting. But I thought of Nana when we would go to a restaurant and she would complain about not being able to see the menu or the food -- we had trouble reading the exhibit notes and even seeing the exhibits. Everyone seemed to be straining to see in the dark. We had the audioguides, but it was a challenge to find the numbers corresponding to the exhibit being explained. There's no continuity, so sometimes the number was on the floor, sometimes at eye level, sometimes on the right, other times on the left. At one time I had the feeling I was looking for the numbers rather than looking at the exhibit.
As I said, the exhibit is interesting and the workmanship is beautiful. In fact we spent such a long time in Océanie that we went to have lunch instead of starting with Asia. After lunch (Do not eat at the overpriced café on the premises. The food was good, but very expensive and the service was very slow. There are cafés on the avenues on either side of the museum and your ticket is good for the day.) So, after lunch, we went to see the temporary exhibits: "The spirit of “Mingei” in Japan: folk art design" and "Upside Down - The Arctic Regions". The first one is really the arts and crafts movement in Japan - some beautiful ceramics, fabrics, furniture and accessories. THe second is made up of Inuit bone, ivory, and (rare) wood carvings. The bone and ivory carvings are tiny and amazingly detailed and beautiful.
After that, we went back up the ramp and spent a few minutes in the Africa section before deciding that there was too much to see and we should save it for the next time. It's a rich, rich collection.
Other news? Anne is signing the purchase of her apartment next week, so she'll be moving, soon. Emma and Laurent are on their way from Darwin to Alice Springs. Claire and Geoff have set the NEW date for their wedding: August 8, 2009. Louis and Gwen are busy working on their apartment, stripping the old electric installation so Manu can set up the new. Oh, we got ourselves a "new" car -- it's a used Prius, but it's still our new car. We got rid of the van (sorry all our guests who loved it) and the Twingo and now just have one car.
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Il est hors de question que je me répète mot pour mot.
Nous sommes allés au musée du Quai Branly il y a quelques jours. C'est un musée qui mérite plusieurs visites. Il est trop fatiguant à tenter la visite en une fois. On marche beaucoup -- d'abord une rampe interminable pour accéder à l'exposition. Ensuite, les cheminements sont à l'étroit et la navigation n'est pas évident. Il fait sombre et on peine à voir les objets et les encarts et ne parlons pas des numéros qui correspondent aux sujets sur l'audioguide -- difficile à trouver d'un objet à un autre.
Mise à part cette critique du musée, le contenu est fascinant et mérite d'être vu - donc en plusieurs fois.
On a aussi pris le temps de regarder les expositions temporaire : "Upside Down - Les Arctiques" et "L’esprit Mingei au Japon : de l’artisanat populaire au design". Très bien, les deux. Et très différents. L'esprit Mingei est, pour résumer, les arts déco -- des céramiques, les meubles, les tissus, etc. Et les Artiques se compose de bois (rare), os et ivoire sculptés finement.
Nous n'avons vu que la partie de l'Océanie dans la collection permanente; nous reviendrons pour voir le reste.
Pour les autres nouvelles : Anne signe son appartement la semaine prochaine. Emma et Laurent cheminent de Darwin à Alice Springs. Claire et Geoff ont fixé une NOUVELLE date pour le mariage: 8 août 2009. Louis et Gwen bricolent chez eux. Et nous avons une "nouvelle" voiture -- une Prius d'accasion, mais c'est notre nouvelle voiture qui remplace la Prévia et la Twingo.