Mardi Gras Indians
Much of the glorious chaos of Mardi Gras Day comes from the elaborate costumes that locals wear to get them in a celebratory spirit, but arguably no one in the city dons more elaborate attire or takes costuming more seriously than the Mardi Gras Indians do. In this African-American tradition unique to New Orleans, the Mardi Gras Indians’ fantastically beautiful hand-made costumes, which can weigh as much as 150 pounds, are riots of brightly dyed ostrich plumes, beaded breastplates, sequins, velvet, and rhinestones.
The Indians are organized into roughly three dozen tribes with names like the Golden Eagles, the Flaming Arrows, the Yellow Pocahontas, and the Bayou Renegades, and within the tribes, the members have different roles: spy boys, flag boys, big chiefs, wild men, and more. Music, typically call-and-response chanting with tambourines and other handheld percussion, plays a central role in the Mardi Gras Indian spectacle when they take to the street on Fat Tuesday, but the members of a few tribes—the Wild Magnolias and the Wild Tchoupitoulas in particular—have released critically acclaimed recordings and sometimes perform professionally with a full band.
And Mardi Gras Indian music has permeated into New Orleans funk, soul and R&B. The famous New Orleans tune “Iko Iko” with the lyrics, “My flag boy and your flag boy, sitting by the fire,” is rooted in Mardi Gras Indian tradition as is the New Orleans standard “Hey Pocky Way.”
The origins of the Mardi Gras Indians are murky, but Chief Becate of the Creole Wild West tribe is considered a progenitor for masking as an Indian during a Mardi Gras in the 1880s, and others then copying him. Scholars also credit the Native Americans who came to perform in New Orleans with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in 1884 for giving locals inspiration. Others believe that a connection between blacks and Native Americans was forged when New Orleans escaped slaves found asylum with Louisiana tribes. Indeed, Chief Becate is thought to have been part Native American.
Neighborhoods and rivalries define Mardi Gras Indian tribes. With boastful singing and threatening dances and gestures, on Mardi Gras Day the tribes go out seeking other tribes to do “battle” with. In earlier days, a meeting of tribes often turned violent, and few others would dare to be present. Now, plenty of spectators come out to watch Indian tribes who compete by costume and song one-upmanship.
Mardi Gras Day, of course, is the main day to find Indians, but they can be hard to track down. Visitors wishing to see them should ask a knowledgeable local. The Sunday near St. Joseph’s Day (March 17) is also a day that several Mardi Gras Indian tribes parade. A good place to catch the gathering of some tribes is along the banks of the Bayou St. John at Orleans Ave. in Mid-City.
You can find out more about Mardi Gras Indians at MardiGrasIndians.com.
|
