Gallery
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Cha Wa is a Grammy-nominated Mardi Gras Indian funk band based out of New Orleans, Louisiana.The name Cha Wa is a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian tribes, meaning "we're comin' for ya" or "here we come." "A Band of Mardi Gras Indians" - New Orleans 1903. The first recorded slave dances on plantations in Louisiana were recorded by the French in 1732. Archival records documented the first enslaved Africans apparently dressing as Indigenous people in a celebratory dance called Mardi Gras in 1746. About. New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. “My People,” the band’s follow up to their Grammy-nominated album “Spyboy,” feels like pure joy, a distillation of generations of New Orleans expression. The first documentation of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans dates back to the late 19th century. These were African-American men who paraded on the city streets on Fat Tuesday morning and St. Joseph’s Night in celebratory groups, playing handheld percussion like glass bottles, tambourines and cowbells. The New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council always has their Indian Sunday on the third Sunday of March, around St. Joseph's Day. Their festivities begin at noon in A.L. Davis Park (at Washington & LaSalle Streets) where the Mardi Gras Indians once again dress in their feathers and suits and take to the streets to meet other "gangs". The Mardi Gras Indians continue to evolve with the times, yet they remain a lasting reflection of the foundation of deep cultural exchange in New Orleans. Initially, their traditions honored their Mardi Gras Indians have been a part of Jazz Fest since its debut in 1970. Back then, the flamboyant tribes, with roots in the intermingling of Native and African cultures during colonial times, were strictly a backstreet phenomenon whose traditions and music were mostly unknown to the general public. Cha Wa is Mardi Gras Indian slang for, “We’re coming for you!” Funk is the mission of this New Orleans band. They’re riding high on their first album, Funk ‘n’ Feathers, a record that captures the gritty funk sound that melds with the Crescent City Mardi Gras Indian traditions. For the May 1991 “Indian Blues” recording sessions in New York, he was joined by his jazz band, Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack and members of the Guardians of the Flame, the Mardi Gras Indian Since 1970, when they appeared at the inaugural New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Mardi Gras Indians, also known as Black Masking Indians, have emerged from the relative obscurity of neighborhood backstreets to become celebrated icons, with their music and folkways emblazoned on the cultural consciousness of New Orleans and beyond. The song of the Mardi Gras Indians exudes joy, defiance — and mystery. American Anthem Music that challenges, unites and celebrates. In New Orleans, 'Indian Red' Is The Anthemic Sound Of Tradition. The Southern University "Human Jukebox," the Mande Milkshakers, the Golden Sioux Mardi Gras Indians, the Honey Island Clydesdales, and many more groups will be entertaining the crowds. This year's King & Queen X are Jimbo Borchert and Deanna Reine. NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Joseph Boudreaux Jr. and Joe Gelini of the New Orleans funk band, Cha Wa, about their new album celebrating the sounds and culture of the Mardi Gras Indians. Margie Perez, Black Magic Drumline, Big 6 Brass Band, Audrey Ferguson & The Voices of Distinction, Bamboula 2000, Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians, Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, Andrews Brass Band, Bad Boyz, Ice Divas, Lady Pigeon Town Steppers, and Nkrumah Better Boys Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs (SA&PCs), Cary Hudson & Katrina Miller Cha Wa is Mardi Gras Indian slang for, “We’re coming for you!” Funk is the mission of this New Orleans band. They’re riding high on their first album, Funk ‘n’ Feathers, a record that captures the gritty funk sound that melds with the Crescent City Mardi Gras Indian traditions. Margie Perez, Black Magic Drumline, Big 6 Brass Band, Audrey Ferguson & The Voices of Distinction, Bamboula 2000, Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians, Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, Andrews Since 1970, when they appeared at the inaugural New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Mardi Gras Indians, also known as Black Masking Indians, have emerged from the relative obscurity of neighborhood backstreets to become celebrated icons, with their music and folkways emblazoned on the cultural consciousness of New Orleans and beyond. Mardi Gras Indians, or Black Masking Indians, practice a unique cultural tradition rooted in New Orleans' Black community. While its origins are somewhat murky, many say the legend honors a relationship forged by south Louisiana's indigenous communities who were brave enough to take in enslaved people when they escaped bondage in the state's A group calling itself the Wild Magnolias, participating in the local "Indian masking" traditions and performing New Orleans Mardi Gras music, extends at least back into the 1950s. The group's lead member was called the Big Chief, and at least three Big Chiefs are known to have headed the band for short stints prior to 1964: Leon, Flap, and Joe Advocate staff photo by A.J. SISCO -- Mardi Gras Indian Irving 'Honey' Banister, right, belts out a chant with the band Cha Wa during the Freret Street Festival in New Orleans on April 4, 2015.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |