Mardi Gras Indians - A Piece of New Orleans Culture

Every community has it's own unique flavor.  The way people dress, the way they talk and the food they eat, along with the town's history and demographic make-up contribute to the flavor of a community like the ingredients of a stew, or since I'm in New Orleans, like the ingredients of a jambalaya.  Jack and I have enjoyed exploring the neighborhoods, restaurants and music of New Orleans during our stay here, getting a taste of the things that set New Orleans apart while we learn about the culture of this most unusual city. 

One of the most unique things we did during our stay here was to observe the Mardi Gras Indians "Super Sunday" Parade on March 18th.  The Mardi Gras Indians are primarily a tradition of the African American community of the inner city of New Orleans.  While typical Mardi Gras organizations form a "krewe" historically, slavery and racism excluded minorities from participating in typical parades and the black neighborhoods of New Orleans developed their own traditions of celebrating Mardi Gras.  They called their krewes or gangs "tribes" in honor of the Native Americans who helped the African Americans break away from slavery. 



In the past, on Mardi Gras, Indian tribes met to settle scores, often violently.  Due to the general chaos surrounding Mardi Gras and the fact that everyone was masked, police were able to do very little to stem the violence.  As times changed and traditions evolved, "masking" as an Indian has come to mean designing and creating a new costume to wear every year.  

The costumes are hand-made using feathers, sequins and rhinestones.  Each Indian traditionally does his own beadwork and the costume designs are kept secret until Mardi Gras.  Costumes are so elaborate and expensive that no one wants to destroy all of their hard work by fighting or causing trouble so the parades are usually non-violent. 

The Spy Boy leads the procession of the Big Chief of each tribe and signals back to the Flag Boy when another tribe is approaching by using chants, songs or hand gestures.  The Flag Boy carries a large decorated staff which he uses to carry the message to the Big Chief.  The chief is followed by other tribe members or "Second-Liners".  When the two tribes meet, the Big Chiefs greet each other by displaying their plumage and using chants or songs.  The song "Iko Iko" used in the movie Rainman is a traditional chant and is often sung when tribes meet.  During a parade it is a high compliment to tell a Mardi Gras Indian that he is pretty, probably the only time when telling a man that he is "pretty" is an acceptable accolade.  

Jack and I really enjoyed observing the parade and taking pictures of the fabulous costumes.  The people masking were proud of their beautiful costumes and happy to explain their traditions.  The Spy Boy pictured below with me told us that he is an attorney in his everyday life but that his passion is masking and keeping the traditions alive.





Jack and I especially enjoyed seeing the young girls and boys in their intricate costumes marching with their families.  We hope to see more of the Mardi Gras Indians next week-end at the Jazz and Heritage Fest.

 

New Orleans Voodoo

I hate slasher movies and don't like to read murder mysteriers or anything involving women or children in peril but I must admit to a fascination with the supernatural.  Fairies, vampires, werewolves - I'm your girl. New Orleans is a city that is closely associated with the occult so it only makes sense that I would want to do a little research into the supernatural while I'm visiting here.

When my sister Deb and brother-in-law Bob were visiting here recently we made a stop at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum which bills itself as the original and only actual voodoo museum in New Orleans.  Located on Rue Dumaine in the French Quarter, the Voodoo Museum was created in 1972 by Charles Gandolfo who was a New Orleans Creole native, artist and cultural preservationist.  General admission is $7.00 but because I mentioned that we found them on the internet our admission was only $5.00.  On the day we visited no one was available to give us a tour so we walked around the 3 cluttered rooms ourselves.  Below is a picture of the altar room where people still leave small objects or money on the altar as petitions to the voodoo spirits for intercession.



The Museum's website states that it's purpose is to explain the history of voodoo and it's contemporary existence by exploring voodoo as a spiritual practice,  discussing the facts and folklore surrounding voodoo, and exploring the fusion of voodoo into music and jazz, Mardi Gras, movies and literature. 

Voodoo came to Louisiana when African captives were brought to the territory as slaves bringing with them their religious beliefs rooted in spirit and ancestor worship and their knowledge of herbs, poisons and the ritural creation of charms and amulets used for protection or harm.  Over the course of time, Catholic traditions and practices were incorporated into the voodoo faith and the spirits that presided over everyday life gradually took on the names of the Catholic Saints.  Louisiana voodoo recognizes one God and multiple lesser spirits who intercede in the lives of their followers.  Followers can connect with these spiritual forces through music, dance and the use of snakes which represent Legba.  Unlike the traditional Judeo-Christian imagery of the serpent as a representation of evil, voodoo practioners believe that Legba represents the connection between Heaven and Earth and is the main spiritual conduit to all other spirits and to God.



During our visit we learned that the most famous voodoo practioner was the healer Marie Laveau.  Born in 1801, Marie Laveau was a free woman of color who specialized in love potions and sought to help the hungry and poor. 

In New Orleans, a voodoo priestess is called a Queen and a priest is called a Doctor so Marie Laveau is often referred to as the Voodoo Queen.  New Orleans musician Malcolm "Mac" Rebennack gained fame when he took on the persona of Dr. John, the Night Tripper a name that came from an early 19th century Louisiana voodoo practioner.  His first solo album was called Gris-Gris which is the word for both the act and the object of voodoo magical power.  Wikipedia says that the album contains voodoo rhythms and chants and was ranked number 143 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".  It might be fun to try and find that.  I wonder if it's on ITunes?



Our stop at the Voodoo Museum was entertaining and informative.  It made for a nice break in our exploration of the French Quarter and got me to thinking about the history of this area and the diverse cultures of the people that live here today.  I'm excited to learn more about New Orleans.





Things We Love About New Orleans

New Orleans Likes: Food, Music, the "Vibe",Feel of History, Smell of Flowers  Everywhere, Friendliness (to humans and dogs), Weather,
Outdoor Lifestyle, Walkability, Festivals, Drew Brees

New Orleans Dislikes: Mosquitos, Heat, Broken and Bumpy Sidewalks and Streets, No Recycling

Jack and I have been in New Orleans now for almost a month and it has taken me that long to start feeling settled in.  Jack seems to feel right at home here and has said more than once that he could see living here.  He loves the heat and humidity (and it's only April!) and of course, the great food and music. 
While I like it here in New Orleans, I don't get the feeling of "home".  We really enjoy the Garden District neighborhood where our rental house is located so it's not that.  Our current home is one half of a double shotgun style house with high ceilings and hardwood floors.  It's certainly not a fancy place but it's clean and safe.  We laugh and say that it's like your dream first apartment after college - close to retail, lots of bars and restaurants, public transportation and Walgreen's.

Jack and I really enjoy the four block walk to yoga class at Shanti Yoga Shala and then stopping at Martin's wine store to pick up a bottle or two of wine on the way home.  You cannot beat their selection and prices! On another day, we might stop at Mahoney's to sit outside and split a veggie poorboy and some amazing onion ring straws washed down with an Abita beer.  While we hiked when we lived in Illinois, we rarely walked to anyplace like a restaurant or store and we are both really enjoying the walkability of New Orleans.  It's also fun to take the trolley that runs between Uptown and Downtown. The wooden seats, no air conditioning and the open windows give the trolley that old time feel that is one of the things we enjoy in New Orleans.

Last Friday, we walked down to Perlis Clothing so that Jack could get some new work clothes (shorts).  Perlis is an old time department store that sells Men's, Women's and Children's clothing.  Unlike in many stores today, every sales person seemed glad to see us and talked to us.  Pleasantly.  They made eye contact.  The owner came over and told me about living behind the store when he was a boy, Jack's salesperson told him about her grandchildren and her recipe for stuffed peppers, and I learned all about the young shoe salesperson who taught himself English at school after his parents immigrated to New Orleans from Korea, earned a scholarship to Tulane and is now headed for medical school.  Such a different way of interacting here.   

 

We love the beautiful homes here in the Garden District and Uptown and, as always, we wonder what these people do for a living?  Some of the homes are amazing, and while you know that they have to be less expensive than a similar home in a city like New York or Chicago they still must cost a great deal. 

Last week, while I was out walking Coco in the neighborhood, I came upon the film crew preparing to shoot scenes for Quentin Tarantino's new movie, Django Unchained.  A neighbor of the home the studio had rented for the shoot told me that it was a Tarantino film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, and Sacha Baron Cohen so I Googled the film name when I got back home.  Unfortunately, no celebrities were spotted that day.  

Jack and I feel very lucky to be able to spend some time in this beautiful city.  We've walked and driven through almost all of the neighborhoods and have found a lot to like.  In the next several weeks, we have both the French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest to look forward to along with trips to the Rock and Bowl for Zydeco Music and trips to Mandina's and Mother's for local food.  I'll keep you posted!