All Hail the Queen

Cultural Bearing, Civic Engagement, and the Mardi Gras Indian Queens

Virginia Cope, PhD, associate dean, associate professor of English
Tiyi Morris, PhD, associate professor of African American and African Studies

Sometimes called Black Indians, the Mardi Gras Indians are African Americans who mask (parade) in New Orleans during Carnival wearing elaborate handmade suits of beads and feathers. Dating back to the mid-19th century, the practice is deeply rooted in African traditions of dance and music.

The Mardi Gras Indian culture reflects Black peoples' attempts to resist the psychic brutality of dehumanization and marginalization and to create structures for individual and community development beyond their social, economic and political confines. Although less visible, the women who serve as queens are central to the tradition and the community's survival, serving as culture bearers and other mothers.

Presented in partnership with Multicultural Affairs and Black History Month.