September 9, 2008
Lecture will discuss tradition of Black Mardi Gras Indians
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
Joyce Marie Jackson, an associate professor of geography and anthropology at Louisiana State University, will speak at 7 p.m. in Fowler Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Jackson will examine historical incidents, street theatrics, suit design, and musical and dance practices via observations and ethnographic interviews. Jackson will explore how those traditions emerged and persisted through the years against the New Orleans political power structure. The presentation will also include photographic images by J. Nash Porter. The photographs are part of a Smithsonian Anacostia Museum exhibition titled, "New Orleans Black Mardi Gras Indians: Exploring a Community Tradition from an Insider's View."
In the second part of Jackson's presentation, she will talk about developments since Hurricane Katrina that focus on the displacement of the Black Indian community, networks and cultural rebuilding.
"The concept of resistance theater and street warriors is inherent in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition," said Renee Thomas, executive director of the Black Cultural Center. "The street ritual, a reservoir of cultural expressions, is about the need and desire to resist the system while celebrating life in a dramatic kaleidoscope of color, costume, music, dance and total revelry. Jackson's presentation will bring many of those things to life and why it's still important today."
Jackson, who earned her doctorate from Indiana University, is director of the Louisiana State in Senegambia (Abroad Program). Her research interest is in folklore/ethnomusicology/ sociocultural anthropology, African-American music and culture and performance centered studies in African and the African Diaspora.
She is a Rockefeller Foundation post-doctoral fellow, a National Endowment of the Arts fellow, chair of the Louisiana Folk life Commission and associate editor of the Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music.
Established at Purdue in 1969, the Black Cultural Center is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Cultural Centers as one of the best centers of its kind. Thomas said the center helps the community gain a greater understanding of African-American heritage and supports and enhances diversity on campus and the community. More information about the Black Cultural Center is available at https://www.purdue.edu/bcc.
Writer: Clyde Hughes, (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu
Source: Renee Thomas, (765) 494-3019, rathomas@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Black Mardi Gras Indian in costume. (Photo courtesy of J. Nash Porter)
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