Mardi Gras Indians
The Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, an elusive subject since they are essentially black secret-societies (tribes) that ‘mask’ three days a year – Mardi Gras Day, Super-Sunday, and St. Josephs night – and wander along irregular routes through-out the poorer parts of town. These tribes are made up of generally lower-middle class African-Americans who spend hundreds of hours each year sewing their incredible feather and beaded costumes, only to destroy them after Super Sunday each year, only to start work on a ‘new suit’. The chants and tribal songs of the Mardi Gras Indians are credited with inventing New Orleans famed ’second-line beat’, and the Indian inspired bands like the Wild Magnolias and the Wild Tchoupitulas created some of New Orleans best 1970’s funk, and still do today … For me, St Jospehs night is my favorite, it is a surreal and some times slightly scary scene watching two feathered ‘Big Cheifs’ squaring off for a shit-talking show-down about how good they can each sew, all while the neighborhood Chris-Rock-with-a 40-Oz is providing a running commentary in the background…. It took me years to start getting decent shots of the Mardi Gras Indians in their natural habitat, and these days Im trying to capture the sense of movement and music thatthe Indians possess in those magical moments on the streets of their own neighborhoods, right around Second and Dryades …
