“We Had Some Fun On The Holiday”: Mardi Gras on the Backstreets of New Orleans
“Mardi Gras” to most Americans conjures up images of crowds on Bourbon Street and girls pulling up their dresses in the hopes that someone will …
Black Indians
Black Indians in New Orleans
Although many writers and scholars refer to the African-American tribes of “Indians” in New Orleans as “Mardi Gras Indians”, I have chosen not to, due …
Black Indians at a Second-Line Stop
These men, member of various Black Indian “tribes” in New Orleans, practice their chants during a stop on the Money Wasters second-line route, Sunday 5/26/13
Black Indians Chanting at a Second-Line
Black Indians chanting during a stop along the Money Wasters second-line route, Sunday 5/26/13
New Orleans’ Black Indians Chanting At A Second-Line Stop
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 …
The Wildman
This painting of a Black Indian Wildman was on the door of a house along the parade route for the Money Wasters second-line. In the …
Treme On A Sunday Morning Before the Second-Line
Before Treme was a TV show, Treme was a neighborhood, named for Claude Treme, the owner of the plantation back of New Orleans’ ramparts, which …
Celebrating the Lower 9th Ward at the House of Dance and Feathers
A few years ago, when I visited the Backstreet Cultural Museum in Treme, I was unaware of the existence of another museum dedicated to the …
Donald Harrison Jr (@donharmusi) & Congo Square Nation Iko Iko & Two Way Pocky Way
Donald Harrison Jr. & The Congo Square Nation perform two Black Indian standard songs at their performance at Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans during …
Donald Harrison Jr (@donharmusi) and the Congo Square Nation Live at Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans
New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong Park was rarely open prior to Hurricane Katrina, and has been pretty much closed since, so this year’s Thursday Jazz in …