In this clip from the film "The Mardi Gras Indians" (THNOC, 1975-76), jazz great Danny Barker highlights the creativity, extensive handiwork, and community participation that goes into creating an Indian costume.
Barker (1909-1994) is remembered primarily as a banjo/guitar player and elder statesman of jazz, but he was also a committed writer and prolific storyteller.
Produced by Terry Flettrich and Patricia Chandler, "The Mardi Gras Indians" is narrated by Barker and features footage shot by Jules Cahn (1916-1995), a photographer and filmmaker whose work documented and promoted the arts and culture of New Orleans. Cahn photographed and filmed second line parades and Mardi Gras Indians and was a proponent of local artists, such as folk painter Sister Gertrude Morgan. Cahn’s film and photography collection was donated to The Historic New Orleans Collection by his family and is one of the most popular archives for visual materials related to New Orleans culture.
This condensed, edited version of "The Mardi Gras Indians" was featured in THNOC’s award-winning 2022 exhibition "Making Mardi Gras."
💜 💚 💛 More MARDI GRAS from THNOC 💜 💚 💛
🎥"Black Indians of New Orleans" in Paris: • "Black Indians from Ne...
💀 North Side Skull and Bone Gang's Mardi Gras Morning Reminder: “You Next!”: www.hnoc.org/publications/fir...
📚 🔍 FURTHER READING and RESOURCES
📣The Folklore of Danny Barker: www.hnoc.org/publications/fir...
📓Danny Barker's “A Life in Jazz”: shophnoc.com/products/danny-t...
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