New Orleans has been my home for the last twenty-four years. There is so much offered in New Orleans like delectable foods and diverse cultures. My grandmother was a very influential person in our community, and a very talented seamstress; people would come from all over the city to have her make their outfits. She would sew complicated costumes for parades, gorgeous gowns for balls, and Indian outfits for the spy-boys, flyboys, and big chiefs. The Indian costumes are my absolute favorite. I would sit, and watch her for hours, and if I was well behaved, she would let me hand stitch a few wampums on. Joseph Pierre Boudreaux, also known as Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, sat with his strong, dark hands folded and his gleaming brown eyes full of knowledge. His enormous suit glittered with red and white crystals, elaborate plumes of …show more content…
Boudreaux and Dollis had been great friends since their schooldays. Around 1970, Boudreaux performed with the Wild Magnolias at the first ever New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He had been dancing with the Wild Magnolias for over 30 years before becoming Chief of the Golden Eagles. Mardi Gras is full of secrets, and the Mardi Gras Indians are as much a part of that secrecy as any other carnival organization. Their parade dates, times, and routes are never published in advance, although they do tend to gather in the same areas every year. When I asked Boudreaux, how you become an Indian, Boudreaux simply quotes Larry Bannock, the President, New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council, "Mardi Gras Indians were secretive because only certain people participated in masking; people with questionable character." He went on to say "In earlier years, the Indians were violent. Indians would meet on Mardi Gras; it was a day to settle grudges."Nowadays, it leads to dancing and debate about who is