Episode number 22 of Series “Faces of culture”.
Folk art is made by ordinary people. One function of folk art is to express ethnicity and this is nowhere more dramatically evident than amongst the descendants of the black slaves and the North American Indians at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Neighbourhood groups organise themselves into tribes and spend many weeks in preparing elaborate costumes which are paraded in rivalry to the main parade in downtown New Orleans. The costumes are works of art whose designs are often symbolic and confer status on the wearers. The tradition has endured for over a hundred years yet is forever evolving.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
325371
Language
English
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → African Americans
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Indians of North America
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → New Orleans (La.)
Crafts & Visual Arts → African American art
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → African Americans
Music & Performing Arts → Costume
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)