MARDI GRAS - Fat Tuesday African American Indian and Members of the Zulu Club

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According to author Willie W. Clark Jr., “in 1746 archives begin to refer to slaves dressing as Indians, as the African-Americans began to celebrate Mardi Gras in their unique customary fashion. These were in all likelihood, the first known “Black Indians.” So it begins.

Quite frankly, no other group in the entire world takes their costumes as seriously as the Mardi Gras Indians. The estimated cost of a suit if we look at materials, time and labor, can run anything from a low $18,000 to upwards of $60,000. People spend all year working on a new suit, and every spare pair of hands is put to work. It is truly a labor of divine love. The suits can weigh over a 100 pounds, and as someone who has had the honor of trying one on, I can truly say this is some “heavy” and powerful magic.

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Mardi Gras Day In New Orleans
Members of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade down St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans on Mardi Gras, March 8, 2011. Zulu, a traditionally African-American Carnival organization has been parading for over a hundred years.

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