by Doug Maccash for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
Canal Street commuters’ heads swiveled on Mardi Gras morning at the sight of a magnificent Mardi Gras Indian suit standing on the spot once occupied by a bronze statue dedicated to Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy.
The feathered and beaded suit, which is encased in a protective plastic box, stands about nine feet tall.
Fat Tuesday morning, the climax of Carnival, is the traditional moment when Mardi Gras Indians, also referred to as Black Masking Indians, emerge onto the streets to reveal their elaborate and laboriously-made suits. The unique custom combines African, Native American and other cultural influences. This year, the tradition was mostly curtailed by the pandemic and plummeting temperatures.
But Demond Melancon, Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters tribe, conceived a way to honor tradition without much COVID-19 risk. Melancon said it was dream of his to see a statue of a masker where Davis once stood. So, in the wee hours of frosty Tuesday morning, with the help of what he called “some fairy angels,” he placed a suit where he thought it belonged.
Asked if he sought permission in advance, Melancon said, “No, I just did it.”
“I’m a Big Chief, so I do what I want,” he added, laughing.
But Demond Melancon, Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunter tribe, conceived a way to honor tradition without much COVID-19 risk. Melancon said it was dream of his to see a statue of a masker where Davis once stood. So, in the wee hours of frosty Tuesday morning, with the help of what he called “some fairy angels,” he placed a suit where he thought it belonged.
Asked if he sought permission in advance, Melancon said, “No, I just did it.”
“I’m a Big Chief, so I do what I want,” he added, laughing.
Placing a suit in a resonant spot was particularly important this year, he said, because New Orleans culture bearers have been hard hit by COVID-19 both health-wise and economically. It’s been a year when “everybody lost everything,” he said.
The small posters reading “The People Are King” that were scattered at the base of the suit, were meant to symbolize the importance of these individuals, he said.
Melancon said the exhibition of the statute is meant to be in keeping with City Hall’s efforts to produce a safe Carnival.
“This is a way of me showing we can stand in solidarity with the mayor,” he said. “We hope everybody sticks to the guidelines.”
The monument to Davis was erected in 1903, during the Jim Crow era and removed in 2017, with a handful of other Confederate tributes.
Melancon said that he created the suit for the 2020 season. It’s titled “Jah Defender” and the bead mosaics include an image Haile Selassie, who is revered among some Rastafarians.
The suit is located at the intersection of Canal Street and Norman C. Francis Parkway, which had, until recently, been named Jeff Davis Parkway. The monument to Davis was erected in 1903, during the Jim Crow era and removed in 2017, with a handful of other Confederate tributes.
