Super Sunday in New Orleans

Forget St. Patrick’s Day. March 17 is Super Sunday in New Orleans

In New Orleans, we use a lot of the same words and phrases as other places do— they just don’t mean the same thing. In most places, Super Sunday conjures up the Super Bowl or perhaps any Sunday during football season. If pushed to think of the term with New Orleans in mind, you may think the Sunday before Mardi Gras. With that last one, you’re getting warmer for sure. Super Sunday is one of the most important days of the year for the Mardi Gras Indians and takes place on the Sunday closest to St. Joseph’s Day. This year, Super Sunday lands on March 17, 2019.

Mardi Gras Indians form a vibrant subculture of local Carnival traditions. Though their exact origins are hazy— the common belief is that Native Americans sheltered runaway slaves, and Mardi Gras Indian tradition is a way of paying homage. Their practices date to the 1800s. Mardi Gras Indian traditions germinated within the period of Jim Crow and segregation when African Americans were forbade from participating in mainstream carnival organizations. Because of this, unique and territorial tribes emerged from neighborhoods across the city. While for many years, confrontations between different tribes could turn violent, this culture changed, largely due to the efforts of the late Big Chief Allison “Tootie” Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas tribe. Now, when tribes meet, they perform dances, chants, and other rituals, working to outdo each other.

Mardi Gras Indians converge at Super Sunday on March 17 2019.

Super Sunday is a spectacle. Mardi Gras Indians dressed in their intricate suits parade and perform through the streets and meet other tribes. Throughout the year, Mardi Gras Indians spent countless hours and thousands of dollars creating their handmade beaded and feathered suits, works of art in their own right. Though Super Sunday is celebrated in neighborhoods across the city— in fact, there are approximately fifty Mardi Gras Indian tribes— the largest and most popular celebration takes place in the Central City neighborhood. The parade traditionally begins at A.L. Davis Park on the corner of Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street at noon. The procession is expected to head down LaSalle, turn left down Martin Luther King Blvd until it reaches Claiborne Ave., where it will turn left again to Washington. The parade is expected to make its final turn down Washington Ave. and return to A.L. Davis Park.

While watching the parade, be on the look out for the Spy Boy, the Flag Boy, the Big Chief, and the Wild Man. The Spy Boy leads the procession, often blocks ahead and serves as a scout to warn the Flag Boy of any other Mardi Gras Indian “gangs” he may see. The Flag Boy, a block or two behind the Spy Boy, transmits the Spy Boy’s reports to the Big Chief. The Big Chief, leader of the “gang” and a block or two behind the Flag Boy, takes decisive action based on the Spy Boy’s reports. His decisions are relayed to the Spy Boy through Flag Boy with special signals. The Wild Man clears the performance area for his big chief and the opposing big chief to perform.

Super Sunday in New Orleans with its pageantry, community atmosphere, and deep history, is an experience you won’t soon forget.

This year’s Super Sunday takes place on March 17. The free, public festival will feature two stages and more than 50 food and crafts vendors. In addition to the many Mardi Gras Indian tribes, a handful of local musicians will perform.

History

To start, we reached out to Chief Shaka Zulu of the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe to explain the unique history of Mardi Gras Indians. Chief Zulu operates Golden Feather, a Mardi Gras Indian gallery and restaurant, and hosts seminars on the history of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.
According to Chief Zulu, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition dates back to around 1718. Runaway slaves from the transatlantic slave trade were taken in, protected, and hidden by the indigenous people of the continent in the Louisiana area. Throughout the years, the African and Native American cultures began to mix, creating a new masking culture.
In West African culture, the use of masking, beads, and feathers is widespread. Similar headdresses and outfits are common in Native American traditions. Each suit, through the use of hand-sewn patches and handcrafted feathers, aims to tell a story. 

 

Uptown Mardi Gras Indians

As the culture matured in New Orleans, maskers paraded during the Mardi Gras season — permits were hard to obtain, but parading was allowed throughout the city during Mardi Gras. Because they were seen often during Carnival, they quickly became known as Mardi Gras Indians.

Mardi Gras Indians are divided into two primary groups: Uptown and Downtown. Uptown Indian groups tend to have more African influence, and create abstract costumes using beads and stones. Downtown Indians designs tend to be more pictorial.

Downtown Mardi Gras Indians

Suit Design

Mardi Gras Indian suits are composed of three main pieces: a crown, a dickie, and an apron, according to Chief Alfred Doucette, a leading chief in the Flaming Arrow tribe.

Chief Doucette has created a new suit every year since 1988.

The crown is the elaborate headdress worn by Mardi Gras Indians. The Big Chief, the highest-ranking Mardi Gras Indian in each tribe, can have a headdress that weighs upwards of 40 pounds — some are as heavy as 100 pounds.

The dickie is the patched portion of the suit that spans from the upper chest to the waist, with designs that portray a story on the front and back. 

The apron is the final part of the suit, visible from the waist to the ankle. It comes in different shapes and sizes depending on the artist behind the suit. It can be a mobile, a teardrop design, or a large canvas.

Mardi Gras Indian Arts

Golden Feather

704 N Rampart St
New Orleans, LA 70116

504-258-4282

Located near Congo Square in the Treme neighborhood, Golden Feather is a restaurant gallery that showcases unique Mardi Gras Indian art, and offers a complete lecture on the history of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans data back to 1718.

Golden Feather lectures and dining is available by appointment only. 

Backstreet Cultural Museum

1116 Henriette Delille St
New Orleans, LA 70116

504-606-4809

The Backstreet cultural museum holds a variety of exhibits centered around African-Americans in Mardi Gras. The museum features exhibits pertaining to Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, the Skull and Bone Gangs, Jazz Funerals and Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday fro m10 a.m. to 4 p.m, and it is closed on Sunday. Admission is $10 per person. 

House of Dance and Feathers

1317 Tupelo St
New Orleans, LA 70117

(504) 957 2678

Located in the Lower Ninth Ward, the House of Dance and Feathers holds an extensive collection of Mardi Gras Indian books, costumes, images and artifacts native to New Orleans. Additionally, the director of House of Dance and Feathers, Ronald W. Lewis, is a highly revered scholar of the cultural phenomenon.

House of Dance and Feather is open by appointment only. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

Photos Eric Craig - WWOZ