Lyon (AFP)

"We have a very reductive image of Indians which corresponds to the image of Sioux but which does not represent all of the native North American populations", estimates the exhibition's project manager, Yoann Cormier.

"This Sioux that we share in France is an imaginary Sioux; the Sioux attributes are not false but they are extremely reductive," he adds.

From the first representations of "good savages", the image of the Indians will gradually "slide towards a more violent vision", explains Mr. Cormier.

The exhibition "Sur la piste des Sioux" is held in Lyon from October 22, 2021 to August 28, 2022 OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE AFP

Each era evoked by the exhibition is punctuated by a map of the United States showing the situation of Indian territories, which are gradually reduced.

For Walter Littlemoon, a descendant of a Lakota family who took part in the Buffalo Bill European tour of the shows at the beginning of the 20th century, "Hollywood hurt us tremendously because what they wanted was to do 'money".

"Today, in the United States, we are nearly 547 Indian tribes and we all speak different languages ​​(...) Hollywood has never considered us as individuals or small groups of individuals, but rather as a great set, "the old man with long hair adds in front of reporters.

The atmosphere of these Wild West Shows is recreated in a spectacular scenography where the finery and clothing from the collection of Belgian François Chladiuk, a lover of the American West, are highlighted.

We also learn that the Buffalo Bill show was passing near Lyon, at Parc Bonneterre in Villeurbanne, in 1905.

The bison, emblematic animal of the great plains of the American West OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE AFP

"After these shows, this image of the Indian will gain new ground" such as cinema, comics, advertising or even toys, specifies the exhibition manager Jean-François Courant.

"In France, a peculiarity is that we summon the wisdom of the Indians to guide us and avoid traffic jams," he said, referring to the Bison Futé traffic forecast service.

The exhibition is visible until August 28, 2022.

© 2021 AFP