KILL ‘EM DEAD WITH NEEDLE & THREAD

KILL 'EM DEAD WITH NEEDLE & THREAD 

 With Mardi Gras happening in a few days, I wanted to share with you a tradition that transcends the notion you have of Fat Tuesday celebrations of throwing beads out in order for some drunk person to flash you. Because if you think those are the only beads that are around for Mardi Gras celebration, then well, you have a lot to learn

It's the masking of the Mardi Gras Indians. Mardi Gras Indians, you say? Yes, they don't look like native Americans, I know. But these folks "mask" by putting on massively elaborate costumes and walk around the neighborhoods in a group of their posse to honor when Native Americans would be used as slaves by the early settlers, but said fuck that shit and ran into the swamp lands where the fuckers wouldn't go chasing after them. And in doing so, they helped the early slaves escape their persecutors as well. So masking up in an outfit that honored the land's natives were just something they did as tribute.

Each area had their own sort of gangs for their respected neighborhoods. So just think of it as Mardi Gras Indians being local groups that would beef with one another.  In the early days, Mardi Gras day were a time for both food, drink and enjoyment as well as a day to settle grudges and thus, a lot of fights broke out. The song Iko Iko basically gives you the run down in its lyrics.
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So in the early days, it was a problem that each tribe would just be essentially  That was until Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana stepped in and changed it all up.  No longer would you see the violence towards each group.
"I was going to make them stop fighting with the gun and the knife and start fighting with the needle and thread."
And that he did, so instead of violence, battles between each tribe was done not with fist, but with seeing who could be the most Prettiest dressed. Yes, that's right. They would now compete on the basis on who was the Prettiest. 

And it went down like this;


Taking up like 9 months to a year in getting your attire done. Going through thousands of dollars, endless trips to Joann's and Michaels. There's a massive sense of pride in making that outfit and it's crazy to think that they put all that effort in to it so that they could only wear it a couple of times before starting a new one. It's a sort of spiritual experience.

If you happen to spend some time not on Bourbon Street, there's museums set aside for viewing these outfits and it's an amazing thing to see in person how much detail goes into these outfits. Mad respect goes out to them for it cause man, this stuff looks like so much commitment.

The Backstreet Cultural Museum is a place that if you're ever in New Orleans, you need to go. Simple as that.

Just think about that. Maybe the gangs beefing with one another today should learn something from that. That instead of going after one another with the gun or knife, you should just Kill 'em dead with the needle and thread.

Fight to see who's the prettiest. Yeah, I think the world would be a better place if that was the way we approached our issues with one another.