Queen for a Day

Clad in feathers and a supreme sense of pride, New Orleans women from thirteen to eighty provide a colorful and regal punch at the annual Mardi Gras parades.

(Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com)

This story is presented in partnership between Narratively and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

For more than 100 years, black New Orleanians have “masked Indian,” walking through the city’s streets dressed in feathers, beads, and intricate jewels, shouting chants and rattling tambourines. These Mardi Gras Indians' hand-sewn suits and headdresses are massive and elaborate creations crafted in tribute to Native American and African aesthetics. They can take up to a full year to make.