DIALOGUES WITH THE GODS – SONGS, RITUALS AND EFFIGIES AMONG THE NA OF CHINA

Researchers from the Fondation culturelle Musée Barbier-Mueller will present a series of three conferences entitled “Treasures of the Sacred: Living Legacies of Forgotten Peoples” at Fondation Opale. These conferences will reveal the spiritual and artistic practices related to the sacred of three little-known peoples, highlighted by the work and research of the foundation. 

The Na of China live in the mountains of the Sino-Tibetan region. This matrilineal society, often highlighted for its unique family organization and atypical sexual mores, is however quite different from what has been described in the past. Anthropologist Pascale-Marie Milan, will explore the nuances and transformations of this society. This people also stand out for their sacred practices, which captivatingly reveal the interactions between spirituality and social organization. By materialising their deities through finely elaborated ritual sculptures, paintings, and various meticulously crafted artifacts to sublimate them, the Na of China invite us to discover a universe where the conventional boundaries between humans and non-humans blur, opening up an original space for dialogue and expression. 

Upcoming conferences: 

Saturday, March 15: The Strength of the Ancestors: Rituals and Symbols among the Kanak People of New Caledonia, Claude Grin
Friday, April 18: The Divine Body: Paintings and Cult of Beauty among the Nuba People of Sudan, Pierre Dubois 

Free Event
Booking recommended: online ticketing 

Photo: Pascale-Marie Milan