Cane River Creole National Park | Natchitoches, LA

Cane River Creole National Historical Park is located within the Cane River National Heritage Area in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. The park was established by the U.S. Congress in 1994 in order to preserve examples of French and Creole architecture and to interpret the multi-cultural history of the area. The area currently protects a total of 67 historic structures at two locations, Magnolia Plantation and Oakland Plantation. Because of the significance of these sites, the park is one of the destinations on the state’s Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Address: 400 Rapides Drive, Natchitoches, LA 71457
Phone: (318) 352-0383
Official Website: Caneriverheritage.org
Map & Driving Directions

Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club | New Orleans, LA

The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is is one of New Orlean’s most celebrated Mardi Gras parade krewes. Established in the early 1900’s, the Zulu Krewe, initially known as the “Tramps,” developed first as a marching group.  According to legend, its members adopted the idea for the group from a popular vaudeville skit from the period, “There Never Was and Will Never Be a King Like Me,” dressing up in grass skirts and wearing blackface, traditions that continue today. Zulu royalty has counted among its kings, Louis Armstrong , who served in 1949 and sport special “float characters of Zululand,” including the Big Shot, the Witch Doctor and the Soulful Warriors.

The organization was designed to provide blacks with a way to socialize during Jim Crow era and segregation, and later, as a verhicle to provide its members with much needed burial insurance in a time when African Americans were unable to buy such policies. As a side benefit, it was also a way for New Orleans’s black residents to participate in the city’s official Mardi Gras celebrations—which until the 1960’s was mostly a “whites only” affair—by holding their own parades and balls and crowning faux royalty. Of all the throws to rain down from the many floats in the parades during carnival, the Zulu coconut or “Golden Nugget” is the most sought after. 2009 is a milestone for Zulu as it marks the krewe’s 100th year of rolling through the New Orleans streets. For more information, please visit the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club’s official website.

Photo: Larry Roy, the Minister of Fun for the Krewe of Zulu, at the official opening of the “Tramps to Kings” exhibit.

Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Inc.
732 North Broad Street, New Orleans, LA
Phone: 504-827-1559
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions

Mardi Gras Indians | New Orleans, LA

Tracing their roots back to a time when American Indians helped shield runaway african slaves, the Mardi Gras Indians are among the most colorful and mysterious of New Orleans’ cultural phenomena , dating back to the late 1800’s.  Their fantastic costumes, modeled after Native American ceremonial dress, are unforgettable hand-sewn creations of intricate beadwork and dramatic images which rank among the nation’s best folk art.  Often worn just once, the costumes take an entire year to create, with hundreds of thousands of beads and feathers sewn on by hand. 

The traditional music of the Mardi Gras Indians is played with congas, tambourines and belled wrist and ankle bands. The distinction of rhythms, which were once more specific to tribal practices in different regions of Africa, were somewhat blurred by the turn of the century. But the preservation of the intricate rhythms was critical to the development of jazz and funk, which the Mardi Gras Indians were instrumental in preserving and popularizing. Some of the more popular and well known music groups today include the Wild Magnolias, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, and the Golden Eagles.

There are more than 50 Indian “gangs,” each representing a particular New Orleans neighborhood, and each marching to the beat of their own drummer. Through the early years of the 20th century, the tribes had a reputation for violent fights with each other. However, as the 20th century progressed, physical confrontation gave way to assertions of status by having better suits, songs, and dances.

With a formal hierarchy of chiefs, spy boys and other unique monikers, the Indians parade on special days including Mardi Gras, St. Joseph’s Night or one of two “Super Sundays” in March. Gracing the streets of New Orleans neighborhoods in friendly competition over which chief is the “prettiest,” you may catch sight of the Indians at traditional gathering places like Shakespeare Park, at the corner of Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street uptown; at the intersection of Orleans and North Claiborne Avenues, near Armstrong Park; at Hunter’s Field at the corner of North Claiborne and St. Bernard Avenues; or at the Backstreet Cultural Museum ­ where the history and costumes are displayed ­ at 1116 St. Claude St. in the heart of the historic Treme neighborhood.

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Other Reference Sources:

• The Wild Magnolias
• Mardi Gras Indians Ready To Suit Up, USA Today
• Super Sunday Photo Gallery, Ashleymorris.typepad.com
• Mardi Gras Indians: Traditions & History, mardigrasneworleans.com
• Mardi Gras Indian Influence on the Music of New Orleans, jass.com
• Mardi Gras Indian Photogallery, flickr.com

Featured Photo: Red Hawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians by dsb nola