A response to a Stereotype of the Month Entry:  Mardi Gras Indians:

>> I've never known any La. indian person who took offense at the Mardi Gras "indian" tradition. <<

The person who forwarded the posting to me is Creole/Indian, so at least a few people find it problematical.

>> These folks work very hard and invest MUCH bucks in these costumes which are made by family members and worked on all year long. <<

I didn't and don't dispute that. The amount of money spent, the audience enjoyment, even the lack of protest by local Indians doesn't necessarily contradict my point. Namely, that this isn't an accurate representation of Indian culture.

>> This is not one of the traditions thats going to go away because a few people (indians ?) are offended by it, believe me. <<

I don't expect it to go away—not based on my website posting, at least. I don't have that much sway over America's hearts and minds, believe me. <grin>

As I've said many times, a stereotype can be neutral or even positive. For instance, I posted the comments about the Indian casino commercials. In that message, someone took Indians to task for talking only about their noble desire for self-determination and self-sufficiency.

Although that may be true, it's one-dimensional and therefore not an accurate picture of the no-doubt complex motivations. No one is one-dimensional in real life, including Indians. To see people as solely positive is stereotypical thinking.

>> I have to ask..Do you live in Louisiana? <<

No, California. Los Angeles (the other LA), to be precise.

>> I do, and this tradition is not and was never meant to be a stereotype nor a representation of traditional indian culture. <<

I don't think people ever intend to produce a stereotype, do they? As for a representation, the people who dress in war paint and do the tomahawk chop at Braves games also would say they're not trying to represent Indian culture, they're just doing it for fun, etc. So why are Native people generally upset about that?

>> Very similar to Holloween in its extravagance and all done with tongue-in-cheek. <<

A lot of Native people would discourage others from dressing up and playing Indian at any time—even kids playing cowboys and Indians, for instance. I think Halloween would fall into the same category. You don't see many people dressing up as Indians on Halloween these days. Or as members of any ethnicity, for that matter. That's because people now realize the idea is generally wrong.

>> Most of our native people here in Louisiana are wise enough to know this, and join in the fun with enthusiasm, especially those tribes in the southern part of the state. <<

There's a difference between claiming ancestry from an extinct tribe and honoring the people of existing tribes. You seem to be saying the Mardi Gras revelers are doing the former. The website I saw implies more of the latter. In other words, if revelers want to say, "We're using the name 'Indian' facetiously and have no connection to historical Indians," that's one thing. I don't think that's what they're saying.

Even if everyone is having great fun, are you sure people watching the fun are getting an accurate picture of Indians? If we tested the bystanders on their knowledge of Indians, would every single person say what I said above—that this is facetious and has no genuine connection with history? Judging by the sorry state of all our schools, I wonder if Louisiana children have the story straight.

And what about everyone who reads second-hand information such as that on the Mardi Gras website? Will they realize what you said about how it's "tongue in cheek"? Or will they think it has some historical validity?

The Mardi Gras "Indians" aren't just entertaining the local crowds. They're announcing their identity to the world through websites such as this one. If they can promote their position, I can promote my counter-position.

>> But for the most part, our French and NA cultures are intermingled here and the majority prefer to celebrate our "oneness" <<

If a Lakota elder wanted to walk around wearing a war bonnet, I'd defend his right to do so. I'd also say he's stereotyping his own people, even if it's his right.

>> I have been told by many foreign students in our state that the reason they chose to complete their formal education in Louisiana is that we are so tolerant of diverse cultures, due to our very multicultural background. <<

I don't know how tolerant we are here in Los Angeles, but some claim it's the most multicultural city in the world.

>> Thanks for sharing your thoughts and words with me...I value them. <<

And I'm glad to hear from you. I'll check with the original contributor and a Mississippi Choctaw friend and see if they have anything to say about your position.

Rob

The original contributor responds:

Rob's comment:  I think I read something about the intense competition between Mardi Gras "crewes," so this doesn't seem farfetched to me. The allegations of intimidation, I mean, not the voodoo.

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