New Orleans is unlike any other
place that I have been to in the United States. Every time I go, I feel like I
have been transported to a different world. It’s a place that thrives on its
culture and it beats life into every nook of the city. In honor of Mardi Gras,
I’ve found an article about the Mandingo Warriors, just one of the many groups
who take part in this celebration.
The Mandingo Warriors, also known
as the Fi-Yi-Yi Indian Tribe, take to the streets every year during Mardi Gras
in 200 pound suits.
“The tradition was passed down
through generations of African descendants who were enslaved but continued to
wear African masks. Influenced by American Indian customs when they either
escaped from their masters or were freed and joined with the tribes.”
The day is one of great
importance for many people – but the day for the Mandingo Warrior’s is one that
is “all about positive energy” and a day of “blessing and healing.”
There are many things that we
have discussed in class that came to mind while I was reading this article.
First I think it’s important for us to consider Martin & Nakayama’s chapter
on “History and International Communication.” In this chapter they discuss
heavily the importance that history has on our understanding of our identity and
knowing where you are really from. For the Mandingo Warrior’s in particular,
understanding the reason for why they celebrate Mardi Gras and what that day
means to them is very important to understanding their identity. This
celebration and tradition is one that is has been engraved into who they are.
This isn’t just one day of the year for them that they go out, get heavily
intoxicated and try to garner the most beads, this is part of who they are.
In class we have discussed
different paradigms for understanding culture and the one that I have found to
be the most applicable is the interpretive paradigm, which is the idea that the
human experience is subjective and reality is socially constructed based on
interpreted meaning. For me culture is something that is ever adjusting to the
times and making adjustments through the years. I think the idea of cultural
hybridity also plays an important role in this idea because it seems nearly
impossible to me that you could not be affected by the people you meet in life.
The Mandingo Warriors have clearly displayed this, while this has been a
tradition that has stemmed out of Africa, they note the many Native American
influences that have left its mark on the tribe.
This then leads me to culture
appropriation. The discussion we had in class on this I found very interesting
and I would be curious to see what others think about what this means in terms
of Mardi Gras. This day is the culmination of a month long celebration that is
full of parades and traditions and displays of cultures all to mark the
beginning of Lent. This day in particular is one that has become quite
synonymous with debauchery of all sorts, but what does it really mean to take
part in this tradition and not even truly know why you’re doing it? This year I
had a bunch of friends go down to celebrate the day and jokingly I asked should
you really be allowed to celebrate this day if you don’t celebrate Lent? Maybe
not the question exactly we should be asking ourselves, but what does it mean
for the thousands of people to show up to Mardi Gras to get drunk and to
disregard how important this day is for many people? What does it mean to run
around with a lot of beads and not consider the historical importance of this
day? The Mandingo Warrior’s consider this to be a day of blessings and healing,
but while there are many words that have become associated with today these two
are not usually apart of that list.
No comments:
Post a Comment