Mardi Gras Indians

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Mardi Gras Indians gathering along Bayou St. John.

Mardi Gras Indians are mostly African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana who dress up for Mardi Gras in costumes 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, and sometimes the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

There are around 38 tribes. They can 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.

1 History
2 Hierarchy
3 Costumes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] 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 fellow outcasts of society, and blacks circumventing some of the worst racial segregation laws by representing themselves as Indians. 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 costumes, 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 violent fights with each other. This part of Mardi Gras Indian history is immortalized in James Sugar Boy Crawford's Jock O Mo (better known and often covered as Iko Iko), based on their taunting chants.

As the 20th century progressed, physical confrontation gave way to assertions of status by having better costumes, songs, and dances. It has been remarked that generations ago when Mardi Gras Indians came through neighborhoods people used to run away, now people run towards them for the colorful spectacle.

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

[edit] Hierarchy

Tootie Montana on Indian Hierarchy: The fundamental framework of a Mardi Gras Indian gang is a functional hierarchy. Montana spells out the positions: "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."

[edit] Costumes

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". Generally each "Indian" makes their own costume, assisted by family and friends to sew elaborate bead and feather work —A chief's costume can weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg) and cost up to USD 5,000—and traditionally a new costume is required each year. Beads and materials were once reused from one year's costume on the next. On St. Joseph's night the Indians would come out and parade their costumes 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 costumes after they are worn for display by museums and private collectors.