NEW ORLEANS EVENTS - Mardi Gras Indians
"I don't just do a suit," says Big Chief Larry Bannock. "It's culture."
Bannock has become legendary after 29 years of masking with the Golden Star Hunters. He's even recognized by the State of Louisiana as a master craftsman for his beadwork. If you want to compare his new suit to the other Big Chiefs, then March is the month, and Super Sunday is the best day to see the Mardi Gras Indians step out in full glory.
The Indians' extraordinary suits take up to a full year to design and sew, and thousands of dollars in dyed ostrich plumes, glass beads and materials. The effort is well worth it to the chiefs and their families and communities. To outsiders, Super Sunday is one of the more visible expressions of the culture behind the feathers.
Mardi Gras Indian tribes are all based out of African-American neighborhoods. There are more than 25 tribes, including Creole Wild West, Guardians of the Flame, the Wild Magnolias, Fi Ya Ya, the Carrollton Hunters, Golden Arrows and the Yellow Pocahontas. During the year, many tribes have regular Sunday night gatherings in neighborhood bars or social and pleasure clubs, which are open to members. They often call the meetings "practice" but really they are parties for the tribe and community followers who socialize and sing Indian parade songs and have a good time. The music is a big part of the tradition, and the annual Jazz Fest always features performances by many tribes. Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias have taken Indian music in a different direction as well. They have released several CDs and are often played on local radio.
The Indian tradition goes back more than a century and in some ways still reflects the way different neighborhoods sometimes harbored rivalries. When Big Chiefs meet on Super Sunday to compare feathers, there is still rivalry, but now it's prestige within the community that is at stake.
How the tradition started is a matter of debate even among the chiefs. But they tend to agree on what the tradition recalls. It recalls kinship between escaped slaves and Native Americans who helped them survive. It references West African cultures in call and response singing and celebration, as well as elements of ceremonial costuming. Other suggested influences include traveling Wild West shows of the 1880s. Some also say that masking as Indians allowed African-Americans to enter the French Quarter for Mardi Gras in the days of segregation. As long as anyone can remember, the Indians have presented their new suits on Mardi Gras Day. These neighborhood parades are the culmination of Mardi Gras in many African-American neighborhoods.
On Mardi Gras Day, each chief comes out early in the morning somewhere in his own neighborhood. He collects all the other suited Indians in the group, including second chiefs, the "wild man," the "spy boy" and the "flag boy," and each member wears the colors chosen by the chief. Along with their followers they set out in search of other tribes, usually with the chief leading call and response singing with drummers and tambourines in tow.
This parade is usually led by the spy boy, who seeks out other spy boys to set up meetings between chiefs. As they get closer the wild men from each tribe will clear a space for the two to meet, and it is generally a bad idea to get in their way. The chiefs will approach each other flanked by their flag boys, who carry the tribal totems or banners. The chiefs will salute each other and compliment each other's suits. But then it is a confrontation, as each chief spreads his wings to reveal the beaded panels hanging from his arms, or on his apron and chest. Legendary big chiefs will sew several layers of panels, and cover their moccasins with smaller panels.
Larry Bannock is not just legendary, he's old school. "If you want to run with the big dogs, you've got to wear glass." Some Indians have gone to acrylic or plastic beads instead of glass. But he doesn't really need to say anything because the results are obvious. "When you've got on glass and the sun hits them beads, it looks like heaven opened up."
More than 25 tribes march on Super Sunday, though there are actually two Super Sundays. It used to be that the Indians marched on St. Joseph's Day. Bannock is not sure how that got started but says that, by evening, the parades tended to cluster around grocery stores. Those stores were generally owned by Italian-Americans, who celebrate St. Joseph's Day. When the Indians sought permits to have parades in March they chartered the third Sunday in March, which is always close to St. Joseph's Day. In practice, there are two parades, one for Uptown Indians and one for Downtown Indians. Sometimes they fall on the same Sunday, but the two groups try to stay a week apart so they can see all the tribes themselves. It's best to check the newspaper for parade times and days because March rains frequently cause a week's postponement.
Uptown and Downtown Indians have different styles. Bannock typifies the Uptown preference for beaded panels, which usually encapsulate a story. One of Bannock's panels once showed an Indian using a tomahawk to break a slave's chains. Downtown Indians have taken a cue from the legendary Tootie Montana who has recently retired from masking. His flair was for three dimensional, geometric designs. One of his later costumes focused on Egyptian history and incorporated pyramids, a sarcophagus, and the headdress of the pharaohs. Those styles are matters of tradition rather than limitations, and more and more Downtown Indians are enhancing their suits with bead panels.
Within the Indian culture, the Downtown Super Sunday is called Tambourine and Fan. It always starts at Bayou St. John around the intersection with Orleans Avenue. The parade goes down Orleans and ends up at Hunters Field at the intersection of Claiborne Avenue and Elysian Fields. The Uptown event is referred to as the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council's Super Sunday. Uptown Indians start and end at A.L. Davis Park on LaSalle Street near Washington Avenue.
Visitors and fans are welcome at both events. The best viewing is at the beginning of the afternoon because the parades tend to scatter the tribes. Many people bring cameras and the Indians love to show off their suits. But it is best to keep in mind that they see Super Sunday as a celebration of their culture and not a big photo shoot. Screaming at a Chief to get his attention or simply running up and demanding it can come across as disrespectful. Though, most Indians, approached cordially, would be happy to tell you just how much time and effort went into their suit and which neighborhood they represent.
It's worth asking because the tradition is about much more than the suit. Bannock points out that being a big chief isn't just about sewing a suit, it's about sewing a new suit every year.
"You've got to live the life to really know it."