Who are the Mardi Gras Indians?
Take Me to the River: New Orleans › Won’t Bow Down - The Traditions of the Mardi Gras Indians › Who are the Mardi Gras Indians?

Lesson 1 Who are the Mardi Gras Indians?

Essential Question

Who are the Mardi Gras Indians?

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Describe who the Mardi Gras Indians are.

Materials Needed

  • Computer or Tablet
  • Media links (see below)
  • Berklee PULSE Account
  • Whiteboard

Media

Lesson 1: Who Are the Mardi Gras Indians?

  1. Ask students what they know about Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations.
    • What are some of the sights and sounds they might experience during these celebrations?
  2. Play students the video The History of Mardi Gras (1:00) to provide students with context about Mardi Gras.

  3. Explain to students that the earliest Mardi Gras celebrations started when New Orleans was founded in 1718, although these early celebrations looked much different than those that are held today.

    The first Mardi Gras Krewe (a social organization that stages parades) that helped establish parades as we know them was Mistick Krewe of Comus, who started their parade in 1856. Today, there are over 80 Krewes who organize parades in the Greater New Orleans area.

  4. Ask students if they know of ways other than parades that people celebrate Mardi Gras.
  5. Once students have a chance to respond, explain that while it’s easy to associate Mardi Gras with the revelry of parades and beads, there are other cultural traditions that make the Carnival season unique. One of these traditions is that of the Mardi Gras Indians, a unique tradition where Black men, women, and children mask in elaborate, hand-beaded, and feathered suits inspired by Indigenous and West African ceremonial dress.
  6. Show students the video on Mardi Gras Indians from Take Me to the River New Orleans (7:02).

     

    • In the video, Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. noted that during early Mardi Gras celebrations, Black people couldn’t go onto St. Charles or Canal Streets, where Mardi Gras parades are held. What do you think was happening during this time that prohibited Black individuals from attending parades?
    • Why do you think it was vital to bring a different form of Mardi Gras celebration to the community?

  7. Explain to students that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the exact origins and starting of Mardi Gras Indians, as the majority of their traditions have been passed down orally from generation to generation. One thing is certain; the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is one that is distinctly African American and only exists in New Orleans.

    The Mardi Gras Indian tradition is linked to the early encounters between New Orleans Native and Black communities. Founded by the French in 1718, New Orleans sits on the native lands of the Chitimacha Tribe. Enslaved people were brought to New Orleans from West Africa as early as 1719.

    In 1722, the first known enslaved person escaped from a plantation. The surrounding tribes, including the Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw helped enslaved Africans escape from plantations and live off the land. With help from indigenous people, Africans learned to survive off the land, living in maroon camps, makeshift settlements in Louisiana’s swamps and bayous.

    This resistance continued, with many uprisings across the bayou, including the 1729 Natchez Revolt, where 280 enslaved Africans joined with the Natchez Indians to help prevent the Indigenous lands from being seized by the French. The Natchez promised the enslaved people their freedom in exchange for their help. Records of uprisings continued throughout the 1700 and 1800s, with indigenous and enslaved populations working together.

    Between the 1740s to 1840s, enslaved and free people of color and Indigenous people convened in Congo Square on Sundays to socialize and set up a marketplace to sell food, arts, and crafts. In addition, they would sing and dance in their traditional styles. While this blending of cultures was highly documented in Congo Square, it took place in other parts of New Orleans.

    In 1746, there are mentions of enslaved people dressing up as Indigenous people to celebrate Mardi Gras in their own unique fashion in journals and newspaper articles. Some attribute this as the first time “Black Indians” or Mardi Gras Indians were observed. Previously, it was suggested by several ethnographers that the Mardi Gras Indian tradition stemmed from the Black Cowboys in the Buffalo Bill Wild West shows in the late 1800s, as specifically cited in the African American Registry: “An appearance in town of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the 1880s was said to have drawn considerable attention and increased the interest in masking as Indians for Mardi Gras. When Caribbean communities started to spring up in New Orleans, their culture was incorporated into the costumes [suits], dances, and music made by the "Indians".”

    The first documented Mardi Gras Indian Tribe, the Creole Wild West, was formed in the mid-to-late 1880s by Becate Batiste, although there is uncertainty about who else was part of the tribe or how many people were a part of its founding.

  8. Ask students:
    • Why do you think it is difficult to identify the exact starting date of the Mardi Gras Indians?
    • What common theme did you hear both in the video from Take Me to the River New Orleans and in the historical context about how the Mardi Gras Indians formed?
    • Why is it important to listen to primary sources and those within the Mardi Gras Indian culture when understanding how Mardi Gras Indians formed?

  9. Explain to students that Mardi Gras Indians are organized into tribes (also referred to as gangs) which work together all year long to create intricate hand-beaded suits. They often wear long wigs or wear bandanas on their heads to shield their headpieces from oil and dirt.

    In the early years, there was a significant amount of violence between the Mardi Gras Indians, with groups getting into physical fights, sometimes involving weapons such as guns and knives. Since the New Orleans Police Department would be busy controlling the streets during Mardi Gras parades, this often was a time when Mardi Gras Indians would seek revenge for any perceived wrongdoings.

    In the 1970s, Big Chief Allison “Tootie” Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas partnered with other Big Chiefs, including Big Chief Bo Dollis, Sr. to end the violence and shift the focus to a more friendly battle of beadwork.

    In 1985, the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council was established, and has helped bring together the Mardi Gras Indian community, organizing events including Super Sunday, a day that is just about the Mardi Gras Indians. There are no parades to compete with and it’s about the act of masking and defiance.

  10. Watch the video The History of Super Sunday and the Mardi Gras Indians (8:06). Then ask students:
    • What did you notice about what happened when the Mardi Gras Indians interacted with each other?
    • Why do you think it’s important that there is a day for Mardi Gras Indians to be able to celebrate and have a day to parade on their own?
  11. Explain to students the many distinct roles in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. These include:
    • Spy Boy - An individual whose role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe is to scout out and look out for other Mardi Gras Indian tribes. They use signals to let the gang know another tribe is coming.
    • Flag Boy - An individual whose role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe is to carry a flag with the name of the tribe. These flags are often raised to pass along messages to other tribe members.
    • Wild Man - An individual whose role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe is to protect the chief. In the early 20th century, meetings between tribes were often violent, so the wild man played a vital role. Today, they help ensure that the Big Chief isn’t crowded, and they move in and out of the procession.
    • Big Queen - This individual is the one responsible for keeping a Mardi Gras Indian tribe in order. In the processional, they stay on the side of the Big Chief.
    • Big Chief - This individual is responsible for a Mardi Gras Indian tribe’s leadership. They often provide support and space for the tribe's activities and help pass on the traditions to the next generation.
    • Additional roles in the tribe can also include Little Chiefs and Little Queens, with young people as young as 3 or 4 participating in the tradition.
  12. Watch the video Black Masking Indians on Super Sunday (3:50).
  13. Ask students:
    • What roles did they observe in the Super Sunday video?
    • Why do you think these roles were created within the tribes?
    • How do you think the roles in the tribes may have evolved?
  14. Then ask students - in these videos, you heard individuals refer to themselves as Mardi Gras Indians, Black Masking Indians, and Masking Indians. Why do you think they refer to themselves with these different terms?
    • Explain to students that they often use the term Mardi Gras Indians because of their association with masking and revealing their suits on Mardi Gras Day.
    • Many have adopted the term Black Masking Indian to reflect and root the unique Black culture of masking.

Assessment/Extensions

Assessment

  • Students can describe the history of the Mardi Gras Indians.
  • Students can express why primary sources help better articulate the history of the Mardi Gras Indians.

Extensions

  • Have students research major figures in New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian history, including Big Chief Tootie Montana, Big Chief Bo Dollis, Sr., Big Chief Jolly Landry, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. While learning more about these Big Chiefs, students should explore how these Big Chiefs help move forward the culture and traditions of Mardi Gras Indians.

Key Terms

  • Big Chief - This individual is responsible for a Mardi Gras Indian tribe's leadership. They often provide support and space for the tribe's activities and help pass on the traditions to the next generation
  • Big Queen - This individual is the one responsible for keeping a Mardi Gras Indian tribe in order. In the processional, they stay on the side of the Big Chief.
  • Carnival - The season in which Mardi Gras occurs. Carnival begins on Twelfth Night (January 6th) and runs until Mardi Gras day. During this time, there are countless parades and celebrations.
  • Flag Boy - A role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe in which an individual carries a flag with the name of the tribe. These flags are often raised to pass along messages to other tribe members.
  • Enslaved person - A person who was forced to perform labor or services against their will under threat of physical mistreatment, separation from family or loved ones, or death. We utilize language like “enslaved people” versus “slaves” to help separate a person’s identity from the circumstance they were placed in. Using the terms enslaved and enslaver are subtle but powerful ways of affirming that slavery was forced upon that person, rather than an inherent condition.
  • Mardi Gras - Translating to “Fat Tuesday” in French, Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday. This is the final day of Carnival celebrations, and many reflect on the practice of eating foods and indulging in things that they may give up during the Lenten season.
  • Mardi Gras Indian - Mardi Gras Indians are African American men, women, and children in New Orleans who are part of tribes (also referred to as gangs) that mask in elaborately hand-beaded and feathered suits inspired by Indigenous and West African ceremonial dress.
  • Maroon Camp - Makeshift settlements in Louisiana’s swamps and bayous where enslaved people sought shelter once they escaped from plantations.
  • Spy Boy - An individual whose role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe is to scout out and look out for other Mardi Gras Indian tribes. They use signals to let the gang know another tribe is coming.
  • Wild Man - An individual whose role in a Mardi Gras Indian tribe is to protect the chief. In the early 20th century, meetings between tribes were often violent, so the wild man played a vital role. Today, they help ensure that the Big Chief isn’t crowded, and they move in and out of the procession.