Who are the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians?

I spent three months in New Orleans to work on several photography projects, but among the million things I was attracted to were the Mardi Gras Indians. I took photos of them, but I thought a video would be more appropriate because it would provide the viewer with more than just still--the voices of such secular tradition are to be heard to be believed. The Mardi Gras Indian culture and the effort put behind keeping the masking tradition alive is beyond fascinating. The intricacies and secrecy of the uptown and downtown tribes with their different tribal dances and chants are nothing I have ever been exposed to before ( we don't have anything similar in Italy).
I am coming back to cover these black Indians again next year for sure!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• mardi gras
• indians
• native american
• african american
• new orleans
• dances
• yellow pocahontas
• black folk culture
• supersunday
• saint joseph
• uptown
• downtown

[chocotengoku]

@NationRise1 history wrong? oh yea your right because slavery is still prevalent today. Never mind the fact that the first slaves were sold in america sometime in the early 1600s, never mind the fact that slavery didnt get abolished until the mid 1800s. Yea your right history wrong.

[NationRise1]

MORE THAN 100 YEARS?! YOUR HISTORY IS WRONG!

[ninja893]

this history is not so good

[Ms504cp3]

Who the hell is that talking,she hv our indian history all wrong.

[madFlam1]

Lester Freamon at 8:41

he must have been practicing fro Treme

[MrLadyworld]

@jugganaut007 She said that there were 2 trains of thought as how the Indians came about and said that 'some 'people think that it spring from the wild west. But hey, give her credit, she is obviously in awe of this fantastic piece of New Orleans culture and is trying to spread the word...right? She got the rest of the information correct. Take it for what it is, which is an homage to the Mardi Gras Indians!!

[Peregrinusexpectavi]

Man, oh man, you indians are the prettiest, beyond any doubt. Big Chief Tootie would be very proud of you. Respect.

[jugganaut007]

who ever is the narrator really needs to get there facts straight about this secret culture of ours it did not get influenced by no wild west show actually the creole wild west had a charter in place in 1833 to be exact not 1885 which is when wild west show came so in order to have had a charter in place that means that had to be organized long before meaning late 1790's to early 1800's and there is recorded proof to prove this claim because i have the facts not some hogwash so please stop lying

[djuanadennis]

m  kmklm