Amistad Research Center | New Orleans, LA

Founded on the campus of Tulane University in 1966, the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans houses one of this country’s largest collections of manuscripts pertaining to the African-American Diaspora, race relations, church history, education, and the Civil Rights movement. In addition to over 15 million primary documents, the center holds more than 250,000 photographs, 20,000 books, 2,000 periodicals, and hundreds of videos and audiotapes. Its literary manuscript holdings contain letters and original manuscripts from prominent Harlem Renaissance writers and poets, as well as more than 1,000 original works of African and African American art dating from the 18th century to the present, including works by several internationally renowned African American masters.  A portion of the center is also dedicated to documentation on Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics and European Immigrants, as well as Appalachian whites.

The Amistad Research Center is a designated historical site on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

Amistad Research Center
Tulane University
Address: 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: (504) 865-5535
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions

French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, LA

The South’s largest free music festival, the French Quarter Festival, features 13 stages, hundreds of musicians, and a number of musical genres – international, blues, rock, swing and, of course, jazz. All other events (from the art show to the children’s activities) are free, and festival-goers can enjoy the Crescent City’s fine food during the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch, a signature event featuring authentic local cuisine from renowned area restaurants. A celebration of music and food in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the French Quarter Festival is a great prelude to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

For more information about the event visit the official website at the French Quarter Festival.

           

Photos Courtesy of French Quarter Festivals, Inc (click to enlarge)

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.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYef9JOeB1g[/youtube]

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

Satchmo Summerfest | New Orleans, LA

Always held during the first weekend of August, the Satchmo Summerfest in New Orlean’s French Quarter is the premier American jazz festival celebrating the life, music, and legacy of the city’s native son, Louis Armstrong. The summerfest’s musical program features traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, and brass bands on four stages located on the grounds of the Old U.S. Mint. This year’s festival goers will also witness the long anticipated return of the children’s stage with more family-oriented fare, as well as a speakers seminars. For a complete schedule of events, plus a photo gallery and video clips from last year’s festival, check out the event’s offical web site.