Month: June 26, 2014

Watch a 73 year old white man get funky.

That man is Dr. John, seen here at this year’s French Quarter Fest:

I also took some video of two Mardi Gras Indian tribes meeting back during Super Sunday:

Super Sunday is an annual daytime gathering of all the Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans. This is their most public showing as their normal parade routes and times are difficult to find. At one time, these tribes would likely have met in a violent clash. Today, thanks to the efforts of Big Chief Tootie Montana in the 1960s, they meet in a sort of contest over who’s the “prettiest.”

If you’re familiar with the song Iko Iko, you’re actually already familiar with some of the chants that the Mardi Gras Indians use. Of course, no one seems to know what they mean, and it’s probably better that way. New Orleans is probably one of the few places in the world where the local culture is both alive and mythical at the same time.

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