Usually, the stops along a second-line are a moment of rest. The band stops playing, and the marching club members go inside the headquarters of another club to get refreshments and cool off before starting the next leg of the parade. But on this particular stop on this particular Sunday, all attention focused on a group of older second-liners that were reciting chants to the beat of a tambourine. These men, although not in costume, were Black Indians, members of various “gangs” or “tribes” that are often incorrectly referred to as “Mardi Gras Indians.” The practice of African-American men “masking Indian” on Mardi Gras Day and St. Joseph’s Night dates to at least the late 19th century, and has points in common with Haitian
rara bands, Trinidadian Indian maskers, jamettes and calendas, Brazilian samba schools and the Cuban cabildos and nanigos. The chants of Black Indians in New Orleans contain fragments of an “Indian language” that has been much discussed amongst scholars, but about which there is no agreement as to origin or meaning, with some finding elements of French, Creole, Spanish or various African languages in it. “Iko Iko”, “Jockamo Fin-a Ne” and “Two Way Pocky Way” are all examples of this language that have been preserved in song. Influence of the Black Indians is now evident in the brass band culture, where songs from the Indian tradition like “Let’s Go Get Em” can be heard, and in the social aid and pleasure clubs, where the current trend is toward colorful outfits decorated with feathers, a clear reference to the elaborate and colorful suits of the Indians.
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