Mardi Gras Indians share tradition
The lore of the Mardi Gras Indians came alive through story and song Saturday during The Little Bookshelf’s PowWOW event at the Mall of Louisiana.
As children and their parents wearing Mardi Gras beads looked on, members of the Cheyenne Tribe of Mardi Gras Indians performed songs and explained the history behind their two centuries of tradition.
Prior to the Mardi Gras Indians, children had the opportunity to hear stories from international storyteller Angela Davis, also known as “The Yarnspinner.”
Mardi Gras Indians are New Orleans-based groups from the inner city black community known as “tribes,” who celebrate Mardi Gras by donning elaborate costumes influenced by Native American ceremonial wear.
“At that time, blacks in New Orleans wanted to find a way to honor the Native Americans who helped runaway slaves,” Davis said.
Alfred Womble, high chief of the Cheyenne Tribe, said that Mardi Gras Indian tribes often follow family lines.
“My family is five generations Mardi Gras Indian,” he said. “It’s in our blood.”
Tribe members create their own intricate costumes by hand, which Womble said take an entire year to complete.
“The costume is a work of art and an expression of themselves,” he said. “For the younger members, I always suggest they visit the library to read about ideas for their costume.”
The tribes do not follow the traditional Mardi Gras parade routes, Womble said, keeping their parades within their respective neighborhoods.
“You won’t see Mardi Gras Indians on Canal Street,” he joked.
Womble said that Mardi Gras Indian tribes also give children in New Orleans neighborhoods an option that keeps them from making bad decisions.
“We want to show them that they don’t have to be on the street getting into trouble,” he said.
Womble said that he hopes exhibitions such as Saturday’s would help to better inform the public about the Mardi Gras Indians.
“We’ve been to Japan, and they know about us there, but I can go in Louisiana and people have never heard of us,” he said.
Davis said she learned about the Mardi Gras Indians when Womble, a carpenter by trade, was working on her home in New Orleans, and invited them to join her program.
“We started talking about the tradition, and I thought this would be a great way to help them tell their story,” she said.
The Little Bookshelf, a joint community project of the Junior League of Baton Rouge and the LSU AgCenter, promotes reading to children at a young age to help parents foster a love of reading in their child from birth.
“With the Mardi Gras season here, we felt this would be a great way to educate people not only on the importance of reading, but also to explain the history of a Mardi Gras tradition that they may not know about,” said Becky White, an associate professor with the LSU AgCenter and director of The Little Bookshelf.
Brad Oswalt, of Baton Rouge, said he and his children enjoyed the presentation for its pageantry as well as its historical meaning.
“The kids had a good time, and we enjoyed learning about a different side of Mardi Gras than what we’re used to seeing,” he said.
ä ON THE INTERNET:
The Little Bookshelf: www.lsuagcenter.com/en/family_home/family/family_literacy/The-Little-Bookshelf-Program.htm
Angela Davis: www.yarnspin.com
Mardi Gras Indians: www.mardigrasindians.com