Gang flag. "Rise Up" is our theme for 2012.
Friends old and new were invited to join the Guardians of the Flame on our walk on Mardi Gras Day 2012. Thanks to all photographers and documentarians who collaborated with us to create a document of this year's walk.
8 a.m.
COMING OUT THE DOOR
St. Mary of the Angels Church
3501 N. Miro Street (Intersection of N. Miro and Congress)
Wild Woman Kahina
Maroon Queen Reesie, center, accompanied by Pharoah Andrew, Medicine Woman Andaiye, Medicine Woman Oshun Ede, and Big Queen Allie Baby (with Adelle Gautier)
Drummer Man Luther
8:30 am
CEREMONY IN MEMORY OF BIG CHIEF DONALD HARRISON, SENIOR
Harrison Family Home and site of The Guardians Institute
3630 N. Johnson Street (Intersection of N. Johnson and Independence)
Edwin Harrison, Sr, Council Chief of Guardians of the Flame, releases a dove of peace outside the Harrison family home
9:00 a.m.
WALK THROUGH THE MUSICIANS' VILLAGE
Memory stops at homes of
Mr. Peter "Chuck" Badie
Counsel Chief Joseph Jenkins
Mr. Al "Carnival Time" Johnson
Mr. Joseph "Smokey" Johnson
Medicine Woman Andaiye and Little Medicine Woman Samara walk down Independence Street together
9:20 am
STOP AT THE HOME OF COMMUNITY ELDER MRS. PERKINS Caravan to the Tremé 10:30 a.m.
CEREMONY FOR ANCESTORS, UNITY, AND PEACE
RELEASE OF WHITE DOVES
Tomb of the Unknown Slave
St. Augustine Church
1205 Gov. Nichols Street Doves released by
Members of the Guardians of the Flame
Mardi Gras Indian Nation members
Dennis Soriano, Leader of the Congress of Day Laborers
Alison McCrary, Tribal Member – Eastern Band of the Cherokee
Will Harrell, Yazoo Tribe of Mississippi
Al Harris of St. Augustine Church Parish
Andrew Wiseman, Ewe People, Ghana, Ghana West Africa
Clarke Peters, "Guardians of the Flame Big Chief Albert Lambreaux" on the HBO series Tremé 11:00 a.m.
BACKSTREET MUSEUM
1116 Saint Claude Avenue
Guardians of the Flame Queen Mother Supreme Herreast Harrison; Congo Nation Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr; Guardians of the Flame Big Chief Brian Harrison Nelson; Guardians of the Flame Maroon Queen Cherice Harrison Nelson, Michele Harrison, and Cara Harrison
See also the document of our 2011 walk.
When photographing or recording the Guardians of the Flame this Mardi Gras Day, we ask that you observe the following basic courtesies applicable to all street photography and recording of Mardi Gras Indians:Please be respectful of our ritual space. Please do not position yourself in ways that limit the movement of groups of Indians engaged in ritual and battle. Please do not intrude upon rituals with cameras, microphones, or other devices.
If possible, please introduce yourself to a member or representative of the gang and/or share a card with your contact information. The Guardians of the Flame will walk this year with a supporter assigned to speak with photographers, videographers, and other documentarians along our route. We look forward to meeting you.
If you know the name of the Mardi Gras Indian gang or tribe you are photographing, please include it in your posts to social media services.
You may contact and share content with Guardians of the Flame via the comments section of this post and/or via guardiansoftheflamenola@gmail.com and/or via Twitter at @bigchiefbrian and @queenreesie and/or via the Guardians of the Flame page on Facebook. We will also monitor #MardiGrasIndian and related tags and keywords.
Please be especially sensitive when photographing and recording Mardi Gras Indian children. They are participants in a public ritual, but they are still our children. Please do not photograph or record Young Guardians of the Flame and other children masking Indian without the consent of their nearby mentors, parents, or guardians. Please do not publish photographs of Young Guardians or the Flame without the written consent of their parents or guardians.Let us use this crowd-sourcing project with the Guardians of the Flame on Mardi Gras Day 2012 to connect photographers, videographers, and audiographers to the Indian Nation more closely as we celebrate the joy and art of the creative and interpretive collaborative act of "seeing" the Mardi Gras Indians.
Sharing content to the project implies permission for the Guardians of the Flame to share it for the purposes of this project as outlined above. It does not imply other rights to or ownership of your photograph or recording.Thank you for your understanding, respect, support, and participation, and for sharing your photographs and recordings with the Guardians of the Flame.
