Press Releases 2008
New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians Take Guatemala
Guatemala, July 16 2008Six members of New Orleans’ famed Mardi Gras Indian tribes wowed Guatemalan audiences during a seven-day, high-velocity tour of the country July 7-13. The visit, the first leg of a Guatemala-Honduras tour, was partially funded through ECA’s Performance Arts Initiative.
The group, members of a famed Afro-American tradition unique to New Orleans, takes its name from the colorful plumed costumes members wear. The costumes, known locally as “suits,” are modeled after American Indian tribal regalia and are intended to honor the Native American people who supported slaves during the slave era. Their music draws heavily from African and Haitian roots.
While in Guatemala, the Mardi Gras Indians participated in a series of intercultural exchanges and concerts before packed audiences in the Guatemalan Highland cities of Solola, where they performed before approximately 300 people, and Quetzaltenango, where they reached a standing-room only crowd numbering at least 600. The Mardi Gras Indians concluded their visit with two well-attended performances in Guatemala City, where they were joined by a group of young marimba players and dancers from the mountain town of Salama in Baja Verapaz. Approximately 300 people attended the performances.
During their visit, the performers shared history, traditions and culture with their audiences. The group’s integration of indigenous traditions with their African-American background resonated well with their heavily indigenous audiences, as did the similar experiences they and their audiences shared as a result of twin natural disasters of Hurricane Stan in Guatemala and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
• Mardi Gras Indians to Perform in Guatemala
For further information:
• http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/mardigrasindians.html
Photo Gallerry:
http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/photopost//showphoto.php/photo/109
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