Feathers, jewelry, mardi gras indians

Here in the Deep South, Mardi Gras season goes on and on in many of our hearts.  I've taken so many pics of all the aspects of our Mardi Gras season, from the flashy parades and Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, to the Cajun country Mardi Gras runs (what we call the Courir de Mardi Gras).  Today, I will share some of my photos from the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans.  Their history is fascinating: what was once a tradition of violence is now a ritual full of appreciation of craftmanship, dancing, and strutting in a friendly-competitive parade.  The African American Mardi Gras Indians of NOLA take the name 'Indian' out of respect to the native American Indians who assisted slaves during the period of slavery here in the South.  Read the link below for the full history.
http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/mardigrasindians.html
The last picture below is a house I passed as we biked away from the Indians celebrations; reminding us still of the perseverance of ritual, celebration and the pursuit of joy through adversity, suffering, and le bon temps too.

 Above: Close up of one of my favorite shields; the parades and costumes are often political.  Check the cops outrageously blond hair!

                                             The Dream...

Inspired by all the feathers, I've made some earrings, shown below:

Thanks for looking!

http://www.laceydu.com/