The area we now call New Orleans, also known as Bulbancha, a term from the Choctaw language meaning ‘place of many tongues’, holds a rich history. It is a land that has been traversed by the descendants of the Atakapa, Caddo, Chitimacha, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez, and Tunica Nations. The New Orleans Museum of Art recognizes and respects the past and present Indigenous people of this land for their stewardship and care. 

The people of African descent who were brought to Louisiana as enslaved individuals were a diverse group, reflecting the global impact of slavery. They came from various geographic areas, including the Bight of Benin, Kongo-Angola, the Bight of Biafra, Caraba, Ibo, and Moko, Sierra Leone (the Kissy), the Winward Coast (the Canga), the Gold Coast, and Mozambique.

The New Orleans Museum of Art sits on land once part of the Allard Plantation. The museum acknowledges that this land’s cultivation, financial growth, and ongoing cultural significance were made possible by the forced labor of Bambara, Mandinga, Wolof, Fulba, Nard, Mina Fon, Yoruba (Nago), Chamba, Ado Fon, Kongo, and their descendants during the brutal practice of chattel slavery, segregation, and beyond. 

This land and labor acknowledgment is a living document we will continue to revise and strengthen in collaboration with descendants and community members.