We completed our furniture exhibition at Jazz Fest for the 30th consecutive year of showing at the Louisiana Market Place. It is an awesome Fest with fabulous music, food and showing our Louisiana's culture, heritage and traditions.
One of my favorite treats there is the parading of the Mardi Gras Indians. The Indians are a unique part of New Orleans culture. They are African Americans who make Native American suits, a new one each year. They start parading on Mardi Gras
Day, with their biggest parade on St Joseph's Day. St Joseph's Day is an Italian American holiday celebrating the prayers to St Joseph delivering Sicily from famine. So in effect you have African Americans parading in Native American suits that they make themselves on an Italian American holiday!! Part of the gumbo of our culture. The Indians have their own music culture like the Wild Magnolias, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, Yellow Pocohantas, There are 30 plus tribes all over New Orleans.
Growing up in New Orleans our family with other families would ride in the truck parade on Mardi Gras Day. All the families would spend weeks of preparation decorating the truck with a theme and making our costumes for the Big Day. Early morning on the Big Day the truck parade would line up at the corner of Claiborne Ave and Canal St. At a very young age I was treated to the sight of the Indians coming out of their neighborhoods in full suits and lining up for their Big Day. They would call out and we would call back. I would always throw out my beads to the Indians as they passed by the truck and was always out of beads by 7:30am Mardi Gras Day!!
That's why seeing them and hearing them at Jazz Fest warms my heart.
All Photos are taken by our daughter Sarah Arceneaux
We are just about finishing our Jazz Fest shipments. Benches to Philadelphia, Cutting boards all over, Bautac chairs to Mississippi with two more to yet build, coffee table to Canada, dining table to San Francisco, Turned post chair to NY,NY.
Here is a Bautac chair.
