Mardi Gras Indians

We just heard about Mardi Gras in Mobile, but New Orleans is the American city where Fat Tuesday really jumps off. Tourists line New Orleans' wide avenues to watch the grand floats on parade.

The celebration tourists rarely see takes place on the streets and stoops of the Treme, Black Pearl and the Ninth Ward, some of the neighborhoods hardest hit and still empty after Hurricane Katrina. These are the parade grounds of New Orleans black or Mardi Gras Indians. The Wild Magnolias and Wild Tchopitoulas, the Fi Yi Yi... altogether about 40 tribes march in elaborate costumes inspired by the noble Native Americans, who remained free in the age of slavery. Some say the tradition reflects West African masking and dance customs. While their numbers have diminished since Katrina, a number of tribes still parade with traditional rituals and songs. I’ve recorded a number of these rites, and pulled out some of the available recordings by the black Indians of New Orleans to tell their story.

Thanks to indie producer David Kunian for his help with this segment.

(Photo courtesy dsb nola via Flickr/Creative Commons)