But for Angel Chung Cutno, better known as Big Queen of the 8th Ward Black Seminole Tribe, the lead-up to Mardi Gras is about finishing her Black Masking Indian suit, a project she’s been ...

The origins of the Mardi Gras Indians remain unclear, with some accounts tracing their roots back to the late 1800s. Their elaborate suits pay homage to African and Native American heritage, each ...

Mardi Gras Indian marches are dazzling, joyous events. But Banks, 52, began participating in the custom as a way to recover from a dark, terribly sad circumstance.

NEW ORLEANS — We are hours away from Fat Tuesday, which means Mardi Gras Indians are putting the final touches on the intricate suits they'll reveal tomorrow morning. Big Chief Kenny Young of ...

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Big Chief Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanche tribe has been masking as a Mardi Gras Indian for 20 years. He sat down with WGNO to talk about how the suits are made.

Burt explains the cost of sewing an Indian suit saying, “The average suit at minimum costs $5,000. We put the suits on, and a photographer takes a picture, and he gets all the money.” ...

It’s not easy to stand out during a Mardi Gras Indian march. The procession of suits is like a feathery fireworks show, one loud explosion of color and sound after another. But, as anybody along ...

Mardi Gras Indians gather outside Treme Recreation Community Center, play music, and chant as they wait for the funeral services of Keelian Boyd, or “Big Chief Dump”, to end, April 10, 2021.

Ray “Big Chief Hatchet" Blazio is photographed with his Mardi Gras Indian suits that he sewed at his home in New Orleans, La., on February 21, 2019. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) ...

Mardi Gras Indian suits are ornate, with their creators working on them year-round in anticipation of Mardi Gras. They don't come cheap. How do their makers manage to create a new one every year ...

Mardi Gras Indians aren’t limited to parading on Fat Tuesday. They also gather on Super Sunday —the Sunday closest to St. Joseph’s Day on March 19—and on the saint’s day itself.

African-Americans in the city have paraded in spectacular regalia inspired by Native American motifs for more than a century. The song of the Mardi Gras Indians exudes joy, defiance — and mystery.