© 2026 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mardi Gras Indians Trace Roots to Slaves

NPR | By Farai Chideya
Published February 27, 2006 at 8:44 PM EST
Darren Beard, who performed in New Orleans on Sunday with the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians, shows off a traditional costume.
Darren Beard, who performed in New Orleans on Sunday with the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians, shows off a traditional costume.

When black slaves were brought to the Gulf region, they were not allowed to participate in Mardi Gras revelries. But the elaborate celebration was difficult to resist and blacks found a way around the racist law: They "masked" themselves as Native American Indians.

NPR's Farai Chideya spoke with Cherice Harrison Nelson and her brother Donald Harrison Jr. about carrying on the tradition.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
NPR
Farai Chideya
Farai Chideya is a multimedia journalist who has worked in print, television, online, and radio. Prior to joining NPR's News & Notes, Chideya hosted Your Call, a daily news and cultural call-in show on San Francisco's KALW 91.7 FM. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime time program Pure Oxygen on the Oxygen women's channel, and contributed commentaries to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and BET. She got her start as a researcher and reporter at Newsweek magazine. In 1997 Newsweek named her to its "Century Club" of 100 people to watch.
Recent Stories
WRVO is at a critical moment.
Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.
Support WRVO now