Let's Go Get Em.

Lately I'm noticing more "little chiefs" at Mardi Gras Indian gatherings (these were taken on Carnival Day at about 11:00a.m by my wife Darlene at the corner of 1st and Loyola). Children have always been part of Indian culture, but it seems like I'm seeing a lot more kids at these things post-Katrina. I'm guessing this is a deliberate move on the part of the old timers to get more children and grandchildren involved in the culture. After the Federal Flood, many of us were worried about the continued viability of these things, and while this is still a matter of concern (Backstreet Cultural Museum curator Sylvester Francis, for instance, feels that the real crunch will come in about 10 years time, when the current generation begins finding it more difficult, because of age and infirmity, to participate) I think it's possible we underestimated the tenacity of these traditions. New Orleans has survived a lot of calamity, including devastating fires, previous (though less severe) flooding, and yellow fever epidemics that annihilated much of the population. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Bush Whitehouse are just the next in a long line of bad news. Anyway, it was a real hoot to hear those kids chanting in response to their elders. The refrain "let's go get em" is a warriors chant, and a call to arms. To my ears it takes on additional meaning of hope for the future, when sung in the high, clear voices of children.