Super Sunday - photos!!!
New Orleans is home to a treasure trove of cultural riches. My favorite – the Black Masking Indians' Super Sunday processions – bring together music, food, community, and the startling beauty of the Indians' suits.
Last year, I explained the origins and traditions of the Black Masking Indians AKA Mardi Gras Indians. The cover photo was of Golden Eagles Flagboy Lil Ham.
Laura Cayouette
This year, I took my first-ever selfie with an Indian – with Flagboy Lil Ham!
The artistry of the suits is mind-blowing. Intricate beadwork expresses creativity and tells stories of pain and victory, beauty and blood.
Weighing over 100 pounds and costing thousands of dollars, the Uptown tribes’ suits feature beaded panels portraying battle scenes, ancestors, nature, local iconography, and more. Originally inspired by the late, great Big Chief ‘Tootie’ Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas tribe, Downtown tribes add 3-D structures reflecting the architecture of the city and the eaves the Big Chief crafted.
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His son, Darryl Montana (with Big Queen Dianne Honore), carries the tradition as Big Chief of Yellow Pocahontas, teaching their methods to the next generation.
More amazing details.
It's a family affair
The Indian tribes often include family members. The financial burden increases with each member as does the workload of sewing for countless hours, but passing the traditions has kept this practice alive since the late 1800s.
Children begin participating in the Black Masking traditions as soon as they can toddle. Their suits tend to reflect younger interests. (The giraffes are adorable and I love the ballet slippers)
Older kids take on more responsibilities.
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I've had the pleasure of watching many kids grow up in the tradition, like these two:
It brings me great joy to see the skills, stories, and traditions living on in the beaded and feather-trimmed youth of our city.
Innovations
Just as Big Chief ‘Tootie’ Montana made structural modifications, suits continue to evolve. The lion's head was a showstopper, but it was Walt Winner of the Beautiful Creole Apache Tribe who stunned the crowd. In years past, he's introduced a circular headpiece. In addition to his first-I've-seen pyramid shaped suit, this year he made his headpiece SPIN!
Last year, at 26, Queen Tahj of the Golden Eagles Tribe became the first Black woman to design the official Super Bowl logo and theme art. Her suits often redesign shapes into fashion.
Tribes have a hierarchy of Big Chief, Big Queen, Spy Boy, Flag Boy, Wild Man, and other positions – each with their own responsibilities while parading. Many can be identified in their beading, or on feathered staffs.
Some tribes have elaborate tableaus.
This is especially impressive when you consider that the procession of weighty suits is always moving.
Music
The Uptown version of Super Sunday includes a variety of brass bands, but the Indians themselves play only percussive instruments with chanting.
Super Sundays' culture bearers include the Baby Dolls, the modern iteration of the "working women" who crashed Carnival in 1912.
As a crafter, I know what it takes to sew even a small patch of beads. I can't even imagine the toil involved in creating giant panoramas and intricate 3-d creatures.
And what it takes to parade through the streets – against the wind for both the Uptown and Downtown Super Sundays – in suits weighing as much as I do. Though these photos are not great, you can see all the panels and pieces that go into the CTC Hunters' Big Chief's suit. As you can see, he wears several panels layered on his chest to be revealed like pages of a book.
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