New Orleans’ return to cultural parades is a step toward healing in the South

by

Shalina Chatlani

• Published on May 6, 2021 • Comments

Mardi Gras Indians gather outside Treme Recreation Community Center, play music, and chant as they wait for the funeral services of Keelian Boyd, or Big Chief “Dump”, to end. April 10, 2021
Shalina Chatlani, Gulf States Newsroom

In April, Mardi Gras Indians held a funeral and parade for one of their own – one of a few large cultural events to occur since the pandemic started and most large events in the region were canceled.

New Orleans was a hotspot for COVID-19 cases and deaths at the start of the pandemic and many of the attractions that bring people in from across the region – from Jazz Fest to the bustling bar scene on Bourbon Street – were halted. But an event last month offered a glimmer of a hope for a return to normalcy.

New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indians held a second line funeral, a parade for family, friends and strangers to honor local icon Keelian Boyd, otherwise known as Big Chief Dump, of the Young Maasai Hunters tribe. He died from heart failure March 28, 2021.

It was one of the first major Mardi Gras Indian burials and parades since the city shut down.

New Orleans is now in modified Phase 3, where social distancing and masks are still required, but gatherings of 500 people and live music are permitted. City officials say second line parades are only allowed with permits.

“During this pandemic, this is like one of the first big culture events, so it's like bringing a family together,” said Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste, of the Yellow Pocahontas tribe.

See more photos and read the full story from our partners at WWNO here.

This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, WWNO in New Orleans and NPR.