Mardi Gras Indians practicing their chants and calls!!

Posted by onenawlins
July 28, 2008

Video Summary:
"Mardi Gras Indians practicing their chants and calls after the funeral of the late Big Queen Chief Barbara. The Mardi Gras Indians named themselves after native Indians to pay them respect for their assistance in escaping the tyranny of slavery. It was often local Indians who accepted slaves into their society when they made a break for freedom around early to mid 1800s. They have never forgotten this support.The chants that you hear are usually stories of the struggles in the neighborhood, violence, poverty, celebration of life or death etc,,. These chants and calls are passed down from generation to generation.