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“Masked for Battle: Mardi Gras Indian Culture Confronts Covid” will premiere on Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at The Ohio State University at Newark. The film will be screened in the John Gilbert Reese Center, room 145, with refreshments from 6–6:30 p.m. A talkback with the student and faculty producers will follow at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Guests are also invited to come early for a 5:30-6:00 pm screening of an earlier Ohio State Newark student production: “It’s Your Glory: The Big Queens of Carnival.”

d film in a series of documentaries produced by students at Ohio State Newark that gives voice to participants in a time-honored Black parading tradition in New Orleans.

By now, many have heard of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina that ran through the streets of New Orleans. Its destroyed most of everything in its path and took the lives of many with it. Many people who lived in family homes their entire lives were forced to evacuate because of the storm. After coming back they realized that they had no possession of some of the homes that had been in their families for generations because of any legal documents that were destroyed or lost in the storm. For this reason Actor/Philanthropist Brad Pitt teamed up with Global Green USA to help create more structured homes for the victims, and speed up the rebuilding process. The homes have a more contemporary feel to them and definitely can be noticeable for their interesting style of architecture. Upon driving around and viewing the homes, I felt uncomfortable just seeing some of the design  patterns, though they were as colorful as many of the homes seen in Louisiana, there was a lack of modesty in the homes. That kind of feeling that you get when your arrive home seemed absent in my opinion. There was not much remaining of the homes, and the homes definitely represent a modernism that could greatly benefit the residents for future natural disasters, however I feel that some parts of the home, really force its inhabitants to completely redefine their definition of a home. The steep stairs is one thing that I found stuck out, as well as the shape of the buildings.  Once again, these are only my thoughts on what I saw but it was an eye opening experience to just a view  a part of a city that has changed so drastically.

With all sorts of activities to do, different foods to eat, and cultures to learn about, I don’t think I could ever be bored in New Orleans even if I would just spend most of my time in the Quarter. They have the best classic rock station that I have ever heard, and it doesn’t hurt that there are plenty of artists in the local bars and on the streets, so I would never be searching for new stuff to listen to. It’s safe to say that I won’t be going anywhere near Bourbon st. though. While they do play some alright music, it’s not the kind of stuff I’m into and I’m not really into going clubbing in the first place. I’d also rather not have to deal with the tourist trap of the city, but just be somewhere where I can relax and listen to good music without having to deal with people who get too drunk.

I’m also in a stage in my life where I’m open to trying new foods, even stuff that I may have snubbed earlier in life. With the variety of cultures in the city comes a variety of cooking styles, and with that comes a variety of foods I’ve never tried before or some interesting twists on classics.

On Sunday, a large group of students went to the Los Isleños festival at St Bernard’s Parish. Having, stupidly, turned down the chance to go, I instead started messaging a friend on Facebook who just so happens to live in New Orleans. His name is Tony Hollums, and I met him about two years ago when I was vacationing in the city with my family. We saw him in the market, selling some artwork that he had done. I really liked what I saw, and decided to buy one of his pieces, but not as a print. I bought the original, which he just so happened to have with him at the time. I have since gotten that framed and it is now hanging above my TV on the wall.

We decided to meet at the Somethin’ Else Cafe, which is situated across the street from the Louisiana Supreme Court on Royal St. We met up, and went in to order breakfast, only to find that they stop serving it after noon. So we got lunch instead, and while we waited, Tony showed me all that he had brought with him, which was an extensive catalogue. He mentioned how, when I fist met him, that he had just been starting out. Since then, he has done commissions for a local art school in New Orleans, some place in Chicago (I can’t remember the name), and the covers of two different magazines, one local and one that’s in the Northeast. He also mentioned that he had been an architect student earlier, and then a computer student, until he finally settled on art. He said that his style is a result/mix of his background in those three fields, which is probably why it captivates me so. As we ate our lunch, we also talked about some common interests we both had such as bands that we liked (both locally and nationally known), games we liked, and we also delved a bit deeper into those broad subjects. I won’t bore people with those details.

When the people who went to the Los Isleños festival came back to the Banana, and I heard about that all they did there, I somewhat regretted not going. I was still glad I met up with a really great guy who I never thought I would get to see again. I also got to buy a couple pieces from him before we left the state. I’ll go ahead and post what I bought from him below, so others can see for themselves.

The original piece I bought in 2012:

The two prints I bought on this trip:

Researching The Mardi Gras Indians

Website: http://www.hnoc.org/collections/research-center.html

The main purpose of my time here in New Orleans is to research the Mardi Gras Indians for their Council. The specific research I am doing is to obtain the necessary permissions needed so that the work we have been doing for the Indians at Ohio State can be finished. I have been working on an honors based research project for two academic years involving the Mardi Gras Indian Council (MGIC). Last year I worked with a group of students (Tessa Feick, Steven Foley, Vikas Pulluru and Tiffany O’Connor) and creative director  Mike Yearling to help develop and create a documentary and website for the Council.

Last year we finished the documentary, but still needed to obtain permissions for photos and videos. The website also was not finished. My work at the Williams Research Center will help to do both. The Williams Research Center owns the rights to some of the work of film creator, photographer and artist Jules Cahn, as well as the collection of photographer Michael P. Smith. Both artists have a large number of Mardi Gras Indian materials located at the Williams. A description of their work is located on their digital online collection, but the majority of the images and videos are not available online. I had to go to the Williams to view these in-person. I will bring my research findings back to Ohio, and with the guidance of Mike Yearling and Dr. Virginia Cope, we will identify the best images and video for the documentary and website.

On Sunday March 9, some students and I traveled down to the Islenos Cultural Heritage Society festival, where we were able to experience several aspects of Louisiana that exist up north, focused primarily on Latin American Culture. The festival seemed of course regular as any other, rides for children, raffles, and things of purchase. However,one thing that struck out to me though was how the varying cultures seemed to blend, especially through food. One example of this was seen in some of the foods sold at the festival. I had the chance to try a piece of Tres Leche Cake (meaning “3 milks” in Spanish) which is a type of sponge cake soaked in evaporated condensed milk. This dish is well known in Latin American culture and was sold at the market. The Spanish influence is one that I feel is not often mentioned in Louisiana mostly because of the general population’s familiarity with the French and the Louisiana Purchase, but as I got a chance to hear a little bit about the background of Louisiana’s history from local residents that gave tours at the festival, I came to understand a little more about the history of those that settled in the state that came from areas as far as the Canary Islands.

I continued to see parts of New Orleans that had became influenced by Spanish heritage when the next day I went and had dinner at a well known Spanish restaurant called “Lola’s”. The restaurant known for its Paellas which are a seasoned blend of rice, some kind of meat/seafood and vegetables was very familiar among customers, with the

exception of most of us foreigners. There were several appetizers I had recognized by name that I had seen some friends order and some that were on the menu (gazpacho, ceviche). Though small, I began to understand why the restaurant easily filled up as we began to wait for our orders, when the food finally came around it was delicious! I have had all kinds of rice, but never one with so many different flavors and spices so well cooked.  The meal overall was great and I got some flan to go just because I had to know how authentic their flan was. That also did not disappoint.To say the least, I am beginning to understand that there is a good amount of Latin American culture  that can be found in the city of New Orleans.

Saturday

When we first arrived in New Orleans, I think our first thoughts were “What is the big ball of fire in the sky?” and “Why is there green stuff on the ground?” After a terrible winter in Ohio, it was refreshing to be able to walk outside without a heavy coat. What was funny was when a few of us took the bus to get the the nearest stop to the Banana Courtyard and we saw the locals wearing semi-winter gear.

By the time we got the the Bed and Breakfast it was the middle of the afternoon and a few of us decided to explore the French Quarter and make our way down the Mississippi River to get the the Spanish Plaza. On our way there, I was part of an “O-H-I-O” picture with Liane and Mike, using part of a ship as the “I.”

When Liane and I finally got to the Spanish Plaza, we immediately searched for the names of cities that we love in Spain or that we have ties to (Liane mostly has ties to Madrid and I have “amigos del corazón” in Santander). It was great to see that there was a permanent landmark to show the Spanish influence in New Orleans.

Later that night, several of us went on a Ghost Tour in the French Quarter. What I loved about this was the folklore in the stories; from the stories about vampires and ghosts, you can actually get a good sense of history in the city. For example, we learned about the Casket Girls; they were girls who we brought to New Orleans as guaranteed virgins for the French colonists. On their voyage to the New World, the girls were kept under deck to lock them away from the sailors, making them pale and causing bad nutrition. When the finally got to New Orleans, they were perceived as vampires and locked into a nunnery on Ursuline. Maybe it is just a way to “creep out” tourists, but the top windows of the convent, where the girls stayed, are still nailed shut.

Sunday 

On Sunday, Liane, Nick, and I had planned to go to the Isleños Fiesta in St. Bernard’s Parish to continue our project on the Spanish influence. At first it was just going to be us three and it didn’t seem like others were interested in joining. By the time we left, however, we had nine students in the SUV! Everyone was so happy that they came; there was dancing, great food, and amazing people.

Liane and I walked around with the coordinator of the festival. He introduced us to people who were able to trace their ancestry back to the first people from the Canary Islands to come to Louisiana.  Seeing these people who are so in love with their ancestry and have an insatiable hunger to learn about where they came from was beautiful. Unfortunately, St. Bernard’s Parish is the only parish that still has an Isleño community; the others have been destroyed and the people have been dispersed around the state.

Monday

On Monday, not many of us had very firm plans, so we spent the day wandering the quarter. While some others went off, I stayed with Zach and Austin. Although I’m not an olive fan, I agreed to split a muffaleta with Zach and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.

Finally, we got to go to Lola’s, a Spanish restaurant on Esplanade Ave, for dinner to do some “research” on the Spanish cuisine in New Orleans. I ordered the seafood paella and was VERY happy with my choice. The price was reasonable, considering there was so much seafood, and the flavor was amazing. Lola’s will definitley be a go-to place of mine whenever I visit New Orleans.

Tuesday

On our last full day in the city, we decided that we had to go to Cafe du Monde and get a beignet. I have heard people ranting and raving about how great they are, so I was excited to have some with some hot chocolate. While I agree that they were delicious, I wouldn’t tell anyone to go out of their way to get one; what I enjoyed most about our visit to Cafe du Monde was the street performer on the sidewalk next to us. At one point, he has the entire restaurant singing “You are My Sunshine” with him. Feeling a small sense of community between us, complete strangers, was an awesome feeling.

After breakfast, we went to the Cabildo to learn more about the state’s history. Not only did Liane, Nick, and I learn a lot about the influence of the Spanish in New Orleans and the rest of the state to help with our projects, but I found a more personal connection when I found a section on the Irish in New Orleans; not only was a Spanish viceroy in Louisiana an Irishman (“Bloody” Alexander O’Reilly), but there were a few ways of Irish immigrants. In the 1860s, 1/14 of the population in New Orleans were Irish. In fact, most of the laborers that built the New Basin Canal were Irishmen.

That afternoon, we went to Insta-Gator, an alligator farm and hatchery, on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. For a few extra dollars, we were able to catch and hold baby alligators. It was definitely worth the money and I learned a lot about gators… mostly the best way to run away from one if it is ever chasing me.

For dinner, we went to a place called the Praline Connection on Frenchman. We had never been to the street before, but I wish that we had gone every night. Not only was the food amazing, but I had an amazing time dancing in the street with my classmates to the music of a jazz band in the street. It didn’t matter that some of us (perhaps most of us, haha) are not great dancers; no one cared. It was all about enjoying yourself, the music, and the community.

Wednesday

After doing a little more exploration at Louis Armstrong Park with Steven and Austin, it was time to head back to the airport and head home to Ohio. What I kept thinking about was how several cultures all met in New Orleans to create a new one. Being able to experience this with other like-minded students who want to open themselves up to new ideas, traditions, and cultures was an amazing experience that I am grateful for. NOLA, you be great!

In New Orleans, Spanish influence is inevitable for two reasons.

One reason is that the city was historically owned by Spain for over 40 years, as seen on many plaques on the corner of streets in the French Quarter, along with some early Spanish settlements in the area:

Another reason is the current influx of Latinos in the city, as seen by products and signs in Spanish:

Some prominent examples can be seen in:

Street signs

Spanish Plaza

The Cabildo

And of course, Los Isleños

We arrived in New Orleans Saturday afternoon. After getting situated into the Banana Courtyard, a group of students went out to explore the city. It did not take long until we heard that various types of music that represents the city’s various cultures: jazz, bluegrass, folk music, and rock n’ roll. We listened to solo and group performances on almost every street. It was normal to see and hear tap dancers clinking away around the musicians. Although there were musicians playing all throughout the day, it seems like more come out as the sun went down. Many musicians sat on the doorsteps of shops that had already closed for the night. Not all of the music sounded good. After walking along the streets, a few students went to the Balcony Music Club to listen to a live band. We thought it was going to be a bluegrass night, but instead it was jazz. The atmosphere in the venue was electric. The entire audience was reacting to the music, unable to stay still. There was definitely a connection between the people and the music. As the night grew older, the music club became pretty packed, and we ended up leaving before it got too late.