USA: the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans

In eighteenth-century Louisiana, escapee African slaves would make a break for the bayous. Here they might encounter Native Americans and occasionally find asylum with them: two peoples who had in common a struggle for freedom from oppression. That this episode in history is remembered is in part thanks to the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans, who are best known for their unmissable presence at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations. Lavishly dressed in intricately beaded suits, the Black Masking Indians are a unique synthesis of African and Native American cultures and a celebration of the universal struggle to express our identity. Thanks to Cherice Harrison-Nelson for telling us her story; to Owen Wagner for recording Cherice’s side of our interview in New Orleans; to Ken Eng for all the wonderful music and sounds of Black Masking Indians in New Orleans, and for providing the podcast image; and to our producers Jessie Lawson and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

You can listen to USA: the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

USA: the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans is an episode from The Rough Guide to Everywhere by The Rough Guide to Everywhere.

This episode is 00:23:37 long.

This episode was published on Sep 10, 2018.

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