LIMITED EDITION

“I’ll never forget that first time a saw a New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian. I was driving home while the sun was setting and there was a flash of orange feathers. My heart jumped. I didn’t take many photos that day, just three. Then, I handed my camera to some people with the Indians to take my picture with them. I was enamored from the start. Previous pictures I saw of the Indians focused on the suits blocking out the faces. With the incredible amount of work and art that went into these suits, I felt it was important to include the faces of these artists. It felt like it was no longer my art. It was an extension of what they were doing, and a way to honor what they had created. Their art is expensive and hard to do, and it isn’t done for monetary gain. I admire that, and I relate. And over time we got to know each other very well. The Indians began asking me to come out with them to take pictures. The Black Feathers had me document the images of my monograph Let's Go Get Em' on St. Joseph’s Night, when the Indians come out after sunset.” - Michelle L. Elmore

During Carnival season in New Orleans, the streets come alive with the sounds and sights of the city's most colorful cultural export. The Mardi Gras Indians wear elaborate, hand-beaded costumes to parade on Super Sunday in New Orleans. Every Mardi Gras morning, a tradition takes place that is rooted in the deep history of African American New Orleanians. It’s loud, it’s proud and it’s a spectacle that you’ll find nowhere else on Earth. This is the day when the Mardi Gras Indians dress in their finest "suits" and engage in a community celebration of history, culture and art, and all are invited. You won’t find their routes on any map, and you can’t Google their locations. You'll need to ask a local where they can be seen. The history of the Mardi Gras Indians is one of challenges and triumph. Traditionally, Mardi Gras krewes (social organizations) were all white and excluded African Americans from their parades and opulent balls. Being part of a krewe has always been an exclusive experience. Some events are open to members and others by invitation only. So what did New Orleans’ African American community do? They came together to create their own celebrations.

Michelle L. Elmore ‘Let’s Go Get Em’ is a tribute to the Mardi Gras Indians and St. Joseph’s Night. Her focus and motivation to create this book was in response to images published by photographers who only cared about the suits and not the people who wore and or created them. The Black Feathers asked Elmore to document one St. Joseph’s Night, when the Indians came out after sunset.

Michelle L. Elmore’s ‘Let’s Go Get Em’, is the documentation of a common belief that local Native American tribes sheltered runaway slaves, and the two cultures merged. Some Mardi Gras Indians claim direct Native American ancestry. Other people believe the intermingling of Native Americans with Creoles, slaves and free people of color in Congo Square brought about the merge. There are also accounts of blacks participating in the Buffalo Bill Wild West shows that traveled through major cities in the late 1800s and being influenced by the costumes. Later, Jim Crow laws barred the Mardi Gras Indian tribes from parading with mainstream Carnival krewes on Canal Street or St. Charles Avenue, so they stayed within their neighborhoods and became solidified.

Michelle L. Elmore’s ‘Let’s Go Get Em’ features the legendary Tootie Montana, who was probably the most revered figure in Indian culture. The images of Tootie in the book are the last time Tootie masked on Mardi Gras Day. Elmore was at the city council meeting where he died. She was four feet away when it happened, when he collapsed. She had been there on St. Joseph’s night, when the police were chasing the Indians, which is what led to that meeting. They were driving on the sidewalks, chasing the Indians away. The Police were there to shut it down. They were wearing black bulletproof vests and heavily armed. They were aggressive and making things appear dangerous. At that city council meeting, when Tootie got up to speak, he said; “This has got to stop!” And that was it. He collapsed. Everyone started singing, “Indian Red.” The Mardi Gras Indians are comprised of approximately 60 different “tribes” that can trace their roots back to a time when indigenous peoples helped shield runaway slaves. As Mardi Gras traditions emerged in the late 19th century, African American communities in New Orleans found it difficult to take part in the new Carnival parades and balls. They created their own tradition instead, hand-crafting elaborate suits that paid tribute to the native people who had once helped their families. Since the mid-19^th century the Mardi Gras Indians have been celebrating this tradition. Now this book ‘Let’s Go Get Em’ allows the public-at-large to admire their amazing costumes, crowns, and accessories. This book creates a window into this very unique New Orleans tradition.

Delivery Time: 3-5 Days (USPS)

Return Policy: 14 Days

Shipping USA: Free w/ Sale