Kelly Lynn James

PROJECTS: Mardi Gras, New Orleans 2008

Mardi Gras Indians parade on N. Villere St. in New Orleans on Mardi Gras day, 2008. In the 19th century the African Americans of New Orleans related to the oppressed and outcast American Indians. Communities formed tribes incorporating elements of Indian costuming and ritual into neighborhood parades and battles. Hand sewn out of beads and feathers, the status and pride of the tribe rests on the intricacy of the tribes' "suits".
Mardi Gras Indians parade on N. Villere St. in New Orleans on Mardi Gras day, 2008. In the 19th century the African Americans of New Orleans related to the oppressed and outcast American Indians. Communities formed tribes incorporating elements of Indian costuming and ritual into neighborhood parades and battles. Hand sewn out of beads and feathers, the status and pride of the tribe rests on the intricacy of the tribes' "suits".