Friday afternoon the West Bank cultural community laid to rest the Council Chief of the Mohawk Hunters. He passed away on October 2, 2013 at 56 years of age.
About fifteen Mardi Gras Indians, mostly from the Mohawk Hunters, were dressed for the funeral procession in their intricate suits including several children who took the day off of school to honor the departed.
Victor Harris of the Spirit of the Fi Yi Yi was also suited for the funeral. Other chiefs and members of the Mardi Gras Indian community including Big Chief Walter Cook of the Creole Wild West and Big Chief Charles Taylor of the White Cloud Hunters were also on hand to pay their respects.
When the service inside the Murray Henderson Funeral Home ended, the Indians, who were gathering and dressing about a block away, assembled in a circle in the middle of Teche Street outside the venerable institution. Accompanied by several drummers and dozens of mourners on tambourines, they sang the prayer song, “Indian Red.”
The Indians continued singing and playing as they marched down the street. After they were a few blocks away, the We Are One Brass Band began playing a mournful dirge. Several members of the West Bank Steppers were also dressed in their finery for the occasion. The dirge ended quickly and the young group launched into spirited version of “I’ll Fly Away.” The band began marching and followed the Indians with a second line of friends and neighbors of the deceased.
The parade traveled up a long length of Newton Street before ending at the Manicure Record Shop, which is the home of the West Bank Steppers. Along the way, it passed Rita’s Bar, the sorely missed home of the Mohawk Hunters, which has not been open since Hurricane Katrina.
Once the procession reached its destination, the Indians and the brass band briefly combined their sounds into a joyful cacophony celebrating the life of the Counsel Chief.
After the band finished playing, a small group of Indians continued to chant the ancient songs and thump their tambourines. It was a fitting end for a man who spent his entire life participating in the deep culture of New Orleans.
