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Still from Jonathan Isaac Jackson's Big Chief, Black Hawk (2021)

Big Chief, Black Hawk

Jonathan Isaac Jackson and Paul V. Fishback in person

Viewing Artists of the American South

  • Saturday, October 1, 2022
  • 2:00 p.m.
  • East Building Auditorium
  • In-person
  • Registration Required

Registration is required.

Big Chief, Black Hawk centers the life and work of Terrance Williams Jr., aka Big Chief Tee, of The Black Hawk Hunters, a Mardi Gras Indian Tribe that carries on the long-standing Mardi Gras Masking Indian tradition in New Orleans. Every year, Big Chief Tee and his tribe create elaborate and beautiful suits to parade in every Mardi Gras morning. Exploring aspects of Mardi Gras Masking Indian culture, relationships between Native Americans and African Americans in and around New Orleans, and the changing demographics of the city, this title gives insight into contemporary challenges and boundless creativity in the face of change (Jonathan Isaac Jackson, 2021, 52 minutes). 

Programmed in conjunction with the exhibition Called to Create and presented with a short clip from Who in Da Mornin’, a documentary in progress about the tradition of Junkanoo in The Bahamas.