Mardi Gras Indians

1905 Social Science

Author : Michael Smith
Release : 1905
Genre : Social Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 386/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Mardi Gras Indians by : Michael Smith

Download or read book Mardi Gras Indians written by Michael Smith. This book was released on 1905. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sociological study of the African American carnival revelers in New Orleans who dress in Native American-influenced costumes. One of the most dazzling elements of the Mardi Gras celebrations, the Mardi Gras Indians receive the attention and respect of carnival-goers for their elaborately beaded costumes and entertaining dances. But what few realize about the groups is that the parading is more than just for show. Costuming, dancing, and all the rituals of these groups are acts of cultural preservation that date back more than a century. In this book, author Michael P. Smith addresses the sociological issues surrounding the mislabeled and rarely understood Maroon groups now known as “Mardi Gras Indians.” His textual analysis of the culture examines its African origins and how the participants help to develop the African American cultural identity. He looks at how some African Americans resisted efforts to suppress traditions that are re-emerging in modern society. Researched and documented by generations of oral and written history, this work clearly outlines the mistaken identification of the Mardi Gras Indians as just an entertainment element of the carnival season. It also shows the vital role this traditional culture plays in the community, much as the black Spiritual Churches do, in preserving an authentic base for the unique cultural heritage of blacks in New Orleans. This work illustrates how the Mardi Gras Indians are a part of the New Orleans second-line tradition. A dynamic element of this book is the collection of more than one hundred color photos. These prints capture the striking beauty of spectacles with a purpose far greater than entertaining. Combined with authoritative text by Smith, the visual images round out this examination of the roots of the Mardi Gras Indians and current practices of the whole range of African American cultural societies and parading groups in the Crescent City.

No I Won't Bow Down on That Dirty Ground

2021-03-31

Author : Maurice M Martinez
Release : 2021-03-31
Genre :
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 142/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis No I Won't Bow Down on That Dirty Ground by : Maurice M Martinez

Download or read book No I Won't Bow Down on That Dirty Ground written by Maurice M Martinez. This book was released on 2021-03-31. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was written by the creator of the first definitive, award-winning documentary film on the Mardi Gras Indians: "The Black Indian of New Orleans" (1976). This historical novel allows students to experience the history of the Black Indians through its main character Samba Prudeaux. The reader will experience a firsthand account of slavery including hardships, a slave revolt, and the Seminole underground railroad to Mexico. Preserved in the traditions of the Black Indians of New Orleans, and passed through its elders to Dr. Maurice Martinez, this book also presents the evolution of the culture.

From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square

2017 History

Author : Jeroen Dewulf
Release : 2017
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : /5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square by : Jeroen Dewulf

Download or read book From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square written by Jeroen Dewulf. This book was released on 2017. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book presents a provocatively new interpretation of one of New Orleans's most enigmatic traditions--the Mardi Gras Indians. By interpreting the tradition in an Atlantic context, Dewulf traces the 'black Indians' back to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo and its war dance known as sangamento. He shows that good warriors in the Kongo kingdom were per definition also good dancers, masters of a technique of dodging, spinning, and leaping that was crucial in local warfare. Enslaved Kongolese brought the rhythm, dancing moves, and feathered headwear of sangamentos to the Americas in performances that came to be known as 'Kongo dances.' By comparing Kongo dances on the African island of Saao Tomae with those in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Louisiana, Dewulf demonstrates that the dances in New Orleans's Congo Square were part of a much broader Kongolese performance tradition. He links that to Afro-Catholic mutual-aid societies that honored their elected community leaders or 'kings' with Kongo dances. While the public rituals of these brotherhoods originally thrived in the context of Catholic procession culture around Epiphany and Corpus Christi, they transitioned to carnival as a result of growing orthodoxy within the Church. Dewulf's groundbreaking research suggests a much greater impact of Kongolese traditions and of popular Catholicism on the development of African American cultural heritage and identity. His conclusions force us to radically rethink the traditional narrative on the Mardi Gras Indians, the kings of Zulu, and the origins of black participation in Mardi Gras celebrations"--Provided by publisher.

Jockomo

2019-10-25 History

Author : Shane Lief
Release : 2019-10-25
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 926/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Jockomo by : Shane Lief

Download or read book Jockomo written by Shane Lief. This book was released on 2019-10-25. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jockomo: The Native Roots of Mardi Gras Indians celebrates the transcendent experience of Mardi Gras, encompassing both ancient and current traditions of New Orleans. The Mardi Gras Indians are a renowned and beloved fixture of New Orleans public culture. Yet very little is known about the indigenous roots of their cultural practices. For the first time, this book explores the Native American ceremonial traditions that influenced the development of the Mardi Gras Indian cultural system. Jockomo reveals the complex story of exchanges that have taken place over the past three centuries, generating new ways of singing and speaking, with many languages mixing as people’s lives overlapped. Contemporary photographs by John McCusker and archival images combine to offer a complementary narrative to the text. From the depictions of eighteenth-century Native American musical processions to the first known photo of Mardi Gras Indians, Jockomo is a visual feast, displaying the evolution of cultural traditions throughout the history of New Orleans. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Mardi Gras Indians had become a recognized local tradition. Over the course of the next one hundred years, their unique practices would move from the periphery to the very center of public consciousness as a quintessentially New Orleanian form of music and performance, even while retaining some of the most ancient features of Native American culture and language. Jockomo offers a new way of seeing and hearing the blended legacies of New Orleans.

Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians

2010-02-17 Biography & Autobiography

Author : Al Kennedy
Release : 2010-02-17
Genre : Biography & Autobiography
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 179/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians by : Al Kennedy

Download or read book Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians written by Al Kennedy. This book was released on 2010-02-17. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of the life, work, and legacy of a pivotal figure in New Orleans cultural history. Based on more than seventy interviews with the subject and his close friends and family, this biography delves deep into the life of Donald Harrison—a waiter, performer, mentor to musicians, philosopher, devoted family man, and, most notably, the Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. The firsthand accounts and anecdotes from those who knew him offer insight into the electrifying existence of a man who enriched the culture of New Orleans, took pride in his African American heritage, and advocated education throughout the city. Beneath a vibrant costume of colorful feathers and intricate beading stood a man of conviction who possessed a great intellect and intense pride. Harrison grew up during the Great Depression and faced discrimination throughout his life but refused to bow down to oppression. Through determination and an insatiable eagerness to learn, he found solace in philosophy, jazz, and art and spiritual meaning in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition. He shared his ideals and discoveries with his family, whom he protected fiercely, until he took his last breath in 1998. Harrison’s wife, children, and grandchildren continue to carry his legacy by furthering literacy programs for New Orleans’ youth. From Harrison’s birth in 1933 to his desire to become a Mardi Gras Indian to the moment he met his beloved wife, author Al Kennedy shares Harrison’s significant life experiences. He allows Big Chief Donald to take center stage and explain—in his own words—the mysterious world of the Mardi Gras Indians, their customs, and beliefs. Rare personal photographs from family albums depict the Big Chief with his family, parading through the streets on Carnival Day, and performing the timeless rituals of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. This well-researched biography presents a side of the Big Chief the public did not see, revealing the rebellious spirit of a man who demanded respect, guarded his family, and guided his tribe with utmost pride. Praise for Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians “Enormously enjoyable, richly informative, and deeply moving. . . . To meet the Harrisons is to encounter an America you can't help but fall in love with and be inspired by forever, while gaining a glimpse into the powerful and meaningful tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans. It's a story of strength, passion, survival, and resistance. It’s a story for today.” —Jonathan Demme, Academy Award–winning director “Building on his impressive knowledge of New Orleans culture, Al Kennedy delivers a masterpiece of artistic biography. The world needs to know about Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Al Kennedy tells his full story in this wonderful book. . . . A powerful read.” —Robert Farris Thompson, Col. John Trumbull Professor, History of Art; Master of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University; and author, Tango: The Art History of Love, Face of the Gods, and Aesthetic of the Cool

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