Herm said: I mean, shit, after a full season with a heavy focus on Mardi Gras Indians I STILL don't know a thing about why they do what they do.
They do a lot. Here's some background for you...
Back when New Orleans slaves would run away, they'd often find refuge with the Choctaw tribe of Indians that lived in the surrounding areas. So there was naturally an allegiance between Native and African Americans that carries forward to this day.
Many say though that what really kicked off the Mardi Gras Indian tribes donning feathers and such was Buffalo Bill's Wild West show coming to town back in the 1880's.
Musically, Mardi Gras Indians merged Congo Square type African drum with Native American drum circle traditions...which at least in my mind, fathered what has come to be known as funk once artists such as Fats Domino and Professor Longhar applied street-level Mardi Gras Indian rhythms to the already commercial forms of r-n-b nd rock-n-roll.
Food-wise, when someone serves gumbo and you see Louisiana locals dumping heaps of what we call gumbo file' into their bowls...that's another result of that Native American culture merging with African American culture. Gumbo file' is actually sassafras, which was a commmon ingredient within Choctaw cuisine.
Culturally, as you can easily garner from Treme, Mardi Gras Indians sew up elborate suits which they wear at particular times, including Mardi Gras and their very own Super Sunday. There are many different Mardi Gras Indian tribes who compete with each other to be the prettiest Indians in the streets. This competition used to often turn bloody, with knife-fights unfortunately serving as the pre-cursor to the Chopper City mentality of modern day New Orleans.
Each tribe has a chief...who runs the show, a Spy Boy...who scouts out the terrain as his gang marauds through the streets parading, and a Flag Boy...who sends signals from the Spy Boy to the chief.
Tribes also often serve as social clubs...meaning that since blacks were often denied insurance, the tribe acts as the overseer of its flock. If you are a member and your child gets sick and has to go to the hospital, the tribe will kick in to cover the expenses. Your grandfather passes away and the tribe will take care of the funeral. You fall behind on your mortgage payments and the tribe is there to help you catch up.
Mardi Gras Indian culture completely permeates the culture of New Orleans...in that friendly exchange between different races becomes the norm...all in the spirit of genuinely looking out for your neighbors. As Mardi Gras Indians parade through the streets, they might be accompanied by a brass band and always a host of second-liners, which are the folks who dance and play percussion instruments behind the first line of Indians/musicians. And there are always designated spots, and some spontaneous, where an Indian tribe is going to be able to stop for food and libations. You never just cook for your immediate own within New Orleans culture, as you never know who else might be coming down the street with a hungry belly at any given time.
Anyway, there ya geaux, Hermito. There's a whole lot more that could be said on the subject, but that's the basic summary.
