Mardi Gras Indians

Mardi Gras Indians gathering along Bayou St. John.

Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.

Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes". Many of the tribes also parade on the Sunday nearest to Saint Joseph's Day on March 19 ("Super Sunday") and sometimes at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

There are about 38 tribes. They range in size from a half dozen to several dozen members. The tribes are largely independent, but a pair of umbrella organizations loosely coordinate the Uptown Indians and the Downtown Indians.

History

Mardi Gras Indian getting ready.

Mardi Gras Indians have been parading in New Orleans at least since the mid-19th century, possibly before. The tradition was said to have originated from an affinity between Africans and Indians as minorities within the dominant culture, and blacks' circumventing some of the worst racial segregation laws by representing themselves as Indians. There is also the story that the tradition began as an African American tribute to American Indians who helped runaway slaves. These slaves married into the tribes on occasion. An appearance in town of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the 1880s was said to have drawn considerable attention and increased the interest in masking as Indians for Mardi Gras.

When Caribbean communities started to spring up in New Orleans, their culture was incorporated into the suits, dances and music made by the "Indians".

In the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century, the tribes had a reputation for brawling with one another. This part of Mardi Gras Indian history is immortalized in James Sugar Boy Crawford's song, "Jock O Mo" (better known and often covered as "Iko Iko"),^[1] based on their taunting chants.

As the 20th century progressed, physical confrontation gave way to assertions of status by having better suits, songs, and dances. Generations ago when Mardi Gras Indians came through neighborhoods, people used to run away; now people run toward them for the colorful spectacle.

A tradition of male-only tribes ended in the late 20th-century as women began appearing in costume as well.

Suits

Generally each "Indian" makes his own suit, assisted by family and friends to sew elaborate bead and feather work—a chief's suit can weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg) and cost up to U.S. $5,000—and traditionally a new suit is required each year.^[2][3] Beads and materials were once reused from one year's suit on the next.

On St. Joseph's night the Indians would come out and parade their suits one last time before taking them apart and burning anything they didn't reuse. In recent years, however, there has been a market for selling suits after they are worn for display by museums and private collectors.

Hierarchy

The Mardi Gras Indians play various traditional roles. These include the "chief", the "spy boy" who goes out in front of the group, the "flag boy" who bears the tribe's standard and uses it to communicate between the chief and the spy boy, and the "medicine man".

Long-time Mardi Gras Indian "Chief of Chiefs" Tootie Montana on Indian hierarchy:

"You've got first chief, which is Big Chief; First Queen; you've got Second Chief and Second Queen; Third Chief and Third Queen. First, Second, and Third chiefs are supposed to have a queen with them. That's just tradition. I found them doing that. Your fourth chief is not called fourth chief, he's the Trail Chief. From there on it's just Indians, no title. You also have your Spy Boy, your Flag Boy and your Wild Man. Your Spy Boy is way out front, three blocks in front the chief. The Flag Boy is one block in front so he can see the Spy Boy up ahead and he can wave his flag to let the chief know what is going on. Today, they don't do like they used to. Today you're not going to see any Spy Boy with a pair of binoculars around his neck and a small crown so he can run. Today a Spy Boy looks like a chief and somebody carrying a big old stick. It's been years since I seen a proper flag. Today everybody has a chief stick. The Wild Man wearing the horns in there to keep the crowd open and to keep it clear. He's between the Flag Boy and the Chief."

Tribes of the Mardi Gras Indian Nation

7th Ward Creole Hunters 7th Ward Hard Headers 7th Ward Hunters 9th Ward Hunters Black Cherokee Black Eagles Black Hawk Hunters Black Feathers Black Seminoles Blackfoot Hunters Burning Spears Carrollton Hunters Cheyenne Hunters Comanche Hunters Congo Nation Creole Osceola Creole Wild West Fi-Yi-Yi Flaming Arrows Geronimo Hunters Golden Arrows Golden Blades Golden Comanche

Golden Eagles Golden Star Hunters Guardians of Flames Hard Head Hunters Mohawk Hunters Morning Star Hunters Red Hawk Hunters Red White and Blue Seminole Hunters Seminole (Mardi Gras Indian Tribe) White Cloud Hunters White Eagles Wild Apache Wild Bogacheeta Wild Tchoupitoulas Wild Magnolias Wild Mohicans Yellow Pocahontas Young Navaho Young Brave Hunters Young Monogram Hunters Young Cheyenne[4]

In popular culture

• The HBO series Treme features one tribe of Mardi Gras Indians in one of the major plot lines weaving through the series, featuring preparations, the parades as well as strained relationships with the police department.

• The song "Iko Iko" mentions two Mardi Gras Indian tribes.

References

1. ^ http://www.jass.com/tom/next/indian.html
2. ^ http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/5869
3. ^ http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A363502
4. ^ http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A363504

External links

• American Dreams: "Super Sunday"
• "Mardi Gras Indian Entertainment"
• St. Joseph's Night in New Orleans: Out After Dark with the Wild Indians
• Rick Bragg, "Another Battle of New Orleans: Mardi Gras", New York Times, February 19, 1995
• Mardi Gras Indian Influence on the Music of New Orleans
• "Big Chief Kevin Goodman and Mardi Gras Indian tribal history", Austin Chronicle
• Backstreet Cultural Museum