The Black Masking Indians, the tradition most people search for as "Mardi Gras Indians," are Black New Orleanians who sew elaborate beaded and feathered suits by hand, often over most of a year, and wear them on Mardi Gras Day and again in March, on St. Joseph's Night and Super Sunday. If you're lucky enough to see them, the one rule everybody should know is simple. Don't touch the suit. And ask before you take a picture.
We've written about the history of masking and about Super Sunday. This one is about how to show up. We've been on Magazine Street and Chartres Street for twenty years, visitors ask us all the time where to find the Indians, and we'd like every one of them to know how to be a good guest.
A Note on the Name
You'll hear "Mardi Gras Indians" most often, and it's what people type into a search bar. You'll also hear "Black Masking Indians," "Black Indians" and "masking Indian," which describe the practice itself. Wikipedia's entry on the tradition notes that most members prefer to be known by their tribe or gang. If you're talking to someone in a suit, use their tribe's name. That's the respectful default.
Who They Are
The tradition belongs to Black communities in neighborhoods like Treme, Central City, the Seventh Ward and Uptown. Tribes, sometimes called gangs, are organized around a Big Chief and a set of roles that go back generations.
- Big Chief leads the tribe and decides the route and which other tribes to meet.
- Spy Boy goes out front to scout for other tribes.
- Flag Boy carries the tribe's flag.
- Wild Man walks near the Big Chief and clears the way.
- Big Queen and the queens make their own suits and hold their own place in the tribe.
When two tribes meet in the street, it's a ritual of chants, posture and judgment about whose suit is prettiest. It used to be a lot rougher. Over the decades, chiefs pushed the confrontation toward beauty and away from violence, and Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas is widely credited with leading that change.
The Suits
Here's why the no-touching rule matters.
A suit is sewn by hand, bead by bead and rhinestone by rhinestone, then crowned with feathers. According to Wikipedia, a suit usually takes six to nine months to plan and finish and can take up to a year. And many maskers make a new suit every year.
That's a full year of evenings bent over a needle, for a few days on the street. Hands pull at beadwork, and feathers snap. Sunscreen and beer don't come out of a hand-beaded patch. If you touch a suit, you're touching someone's year.
They are also legally recognized as art. In 2010, the U.S. Copyright Office recognized a suit by Chief Howard Miller of the Creole Wild West as a work of sculpture, OffBeat reported, opening the door for other maskers to copyright their work.
How to Be a Good Guest
Don't touch
Not the suit, not the feathers, not the crown, not a stray bead hanging off a sleeve. Keep your hands to yourself, and keep your kids' hands to themselves too.
Give them room
A tribe moving down the street needs space. Spy Boys and Flag Boys run ahead and come back. When two tribes meet, there's a lot happening in a small area. Stay on the edges.
Ask before you photograph
Ask. A nod or a shake of the head is your answer. In a Historic New Orleans Collection piece on photographing second lines, Big Chief Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes compares photographers to fans who should stay "in the stands and off the field." Get your one good shot and step back. Don't put a camera in a Big Chief's face mid-chant.
Don't sell what you shoot
In that same piece, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, a longtime advocate for the culture, describes using people's artistic expression for profit without involving them as exploitation. If you're a photographer and your picture ends up on a print or a calendar, the person in the suit should be part of that.
Don't ask for a performance
Nobody is in costume for you. Masking is a cultural and spiritual practice, rooted in the community. Watch and listen, and if it feels right, follow at a respectful distance.
Don't interrupt the chants
Songs like "Indian Red" are prayers. Wikipedia describes it as a prayer song that honors past and present members. When it's being sung, be quiet.
When You Might See Them
There's no published route and no schedule for Mardi Gras morning. Tribes come out from their own neighborhoods. Follow the drums.
St. Joseph's Night, March 19, is a nighttime masking tradition.
Super Sunday falls on the Sunday nearest St. Joseph's Day, when many tribes come out together. In 2025, FOX 8 reported the main gathering was near A.L. Davis Park in Central City on March 16. Check local listings and WWOZ for each year's dates and locations.
Supporting the Culture
The best way to support Black Masking Indians is to show up respectfully and to support the institutions that keep the culture documented and alive. The Backstreet Cultural Museum in Treme is one of them. Our Second Line 'Til You Drop shirt was made to support it.
We also carry the Cherish candle from Goods That Matter, which raises money for Mardi Gras Indian and cultural groups.
For more on the Big Chiefs themselves, read our post on Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles, and to learn more about the neighborhood where so much of this lives, see Neighborhood: Treme. You'll find more Carnival traditions in Skull and Bone Gang, Baby Dolls, and the Traditions Nobody Films.
Mardi Gras Indians: FAQ
Can you touch a Mardi Gras Indian suit?
No. Suits are sewn by hand over many months, often most of a year, and touching them can damage beadwork and feathers. Look, don't touch.
Can you take pictures of Mardi Gras Indians?
Ask first and respect the answer. Photographers who work with the culture say to give maskers room and never profit from someone's image without involving them.
What is the difference between Mardi Gras Indians and Black Masking Indians?
They describe the same tradition. "Mardi Gras Indians" is the more common term, while "Black Masking Indians" is used by many in and around the culture. Most maskers prefer to be identified by their tribe's name.
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