Mémorial d’Iracoubo : Hommage aux Kali’na et Arawak

Overview

The Iracoubo memorial, inaugurated in August 2024, is an initiative by the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana and the association Moliko Alet+Po, in partnership with the Grand Customary Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. It honors the memory of the 47 Kali'na and Arawak people who were victims of the ethnographic exhibitions of 1882 and 1892, put on display in human zoos across Europe.

The memorial restores the identities of 47 individuals — men, women, and children — whose names and ages are engraved on commemorative plaques. Two central figures, Pi'pi Ahieramo and Pi'pi Molko, immortalized in sculptures created by Gérard Lartigues, embody wisdom and innocence.

Why Visit

The memorial is a space dedicated to historical rehabilitation and collective remembrance. Interpretive panels recount the events of 1882 and 1892 and document the suffering endured by these communities. A map of world exhibitions illustrates the international scale of these practices, with comparable examples from the United States and Europe. By restoring the names, faces, and stories of the 47 Kali'na and Arawak, this site underscores the importance of acknowledging past injustices while celebrating the resilience of French Guiana's indigenous peoples.

History

Ethnographic exhibitions, also known as human zoos, displayed non-European populations as exotic curiosities. In 1882, the Galibis (Kali'na) were exhibited in Paris at the Jardin Zoologique d'Acclimatation before more than 400,000 visitors. In 1892, Kali'na and Arawak people were taken to Paris, Brussels, and Dresden for similar exhibitions. Families lived in reconstructed huts, exposed to the cold and frequently falling ill; some members died during these exhibitions and never returned to French Guiana. The memorial project resulted from a collaboration between the association Moliko Alet+Po, the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (which contributed archival resources), and the Grand Customary Council of Indigenous Peoples. The official recognition ceremony was attended by Gabriel Serville, president of the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana, along with customary chiefs and religious authorities.

Getting There

The monument is located at the edge of Iracoubo, heading toward Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, near the public restrooms, on the right after the church.