When queens go to war

Being a Mardi Gras queen means more than the fight to become the “fairest” of them all

Note: This is the third of a series on Mardi Gras and its role in Black communities. 

An elder “big” queen like 92-year-old Litttdell Banister of the Creole Wild West (left) or Queen Kelly of the Black Osceolas tribe might be called in to regulate when younger queens get out of pocket. Queen Kelly image credit: Molly Good   Queen Littdell image credit: courtesy of the subject

When it comes to Mardi Gras, elders take their roles seriously. The tradition means more than wearing elaborate, handmade costumes and parading down the streets. Maybe even more than simply identifying with a community-created tribe. Possibly more than mimicking the rituals native to West Africa. Elders in the Mardi Gras masking Indian communities, kings and queens, leverage their influence to hold individuals accountable to themselves and their communities.   

In conversation with Karen Celestan, author of the forthcoming “So So Pretty: African Indian Queens of New Orleans,” it becomes evident Mardi Gras Indians understand they must not only teach their youth the importance of the masking tradition, the youth must also understand this tradition cannot be divorced from respecting the people within their culture and the Black community at large. 

The rival queen from the other tribe became aggressive, as they both danced through the street. Her taunts took a more biting tone. The young women quickly moved away from playful sparring. The “You ain’t the prettiest" teasing escalated and soon, the young women were in the middle of an intense fight. It started with cursing each other out and devolved into shoving, headed toward a full-on brawl.

Celestan shared a story of conflict between two young women from different tribes who were new to the tradition. It’s a commitment: dedicating a year to sewing a full body, beaded and feathered suit, and joining with others in parading through their neighborhoods. Part of parading through the streets involves chanting to the crowds “I’m so pretty!” and other grandstanding call-and-response mantras. It’s customary for the queens of the tribes to playfully tease each other when they’re dancing down the street and waving at their admirers. 

“I’m the prettiest,” one queen might declare to another.  

“Oh no! I’m so, so pretty. Ain’t nobody prettier than me,” her “rival” might respond.  

There might be some suggestions of her superior suit, her intricately sewn headdress while implying the competing queen’s footwork was clunky. Her suit subpar. 

This back-and-forth verbal sparring is meant to be in the spirit of over-the-top grandstanding. Two exquisitely adorned queens bragging on the artwork they just devoted 12 months and thousands of dollars to creating. Each woman knows all the other tribe members “dressing out” are just as resplendent as they are. 

However, two young women ended up in trouble with the big queens of their respective tribes. They misunderstood the spirit of this version of playing the dozens. According to Celestan, one of the young queens had been garnering lots of positive attention within the city and outside of it. She’d accepted invitations to mask at cultural events around the South and built an impressive name for herself as a young queen whose sewing and second lining skills surpassed others nearly twice her age. This might have caused feelings of jealousy from the other young queen who had not yet reached similar prominence. 

The rival queen from the other tribe became aggressive, as they both danced through the street. Her taunts took a more biting tone. The young women quickly moved away from playful sparring. The “You ain’t the prettiest" teasing escalated and soon, the young women were in the middle of an intense fight. It started with cursing each other out and devolved into shoving, headed toward a full-on brawl. 

Of course, phones came out when it was evident these two queens’ grandstanding was rooted in something other than the masking Indian tradition.  Videos of the altercation were posted on social media before the parade was even over. 

When the elder queens found out, they were horrified.  

“The elder queens called a private meeting.” Celestan says. The young women were hauled into a room filled with matriarchs from both tribes — all ready to remind the younger queens of who they were and what they should not be doing. 

Celestan was not invited to the meeting, as she is not of the culture. She has devoted years to developing relationships with the tribes and is passionate about accurately documenting their significance in New Orleans culture. However, she’s well aware when an incident like this happens, it’s “family” business. Following proper protocol within the masking Indian culture isn’t taken lightly. The young ones in the tribe had acted a fool - IN THE STREETS.  If the elder queens wanted their redirection of these young queens to be successful, they had to address this very public incident only amongst themselves. 

According to Celestan, the big queens gave the girls a lesson in what it meant to be a visible part of this tradition. That it was more than just being cheered on at parades. It was not just about donning their suits and boasting about their style and skills. “She told them, ‘You are gaining status now and you can’t fight another queen like a bitch in the street.’” For the older women in the room, the fact that the fight happened at all was egregious enough. But it was between queens from the masking tribes and it happened while the young girls were dressed out and parading in their roles as young queens?!  That was a level of disregard that couldn’t be taken lightly. 

When young people act impulsively and inevitably end up embarrassing themselves, far too many adults write their behavior off as “just kids being stupid.” Sometimes, even within the young people’s most intimate community members, very little time is given to pause and really help the young person reflect on how their choice impacts them and others. The big queens understood the gravity of these young women verbally and physically assaulting each other while also representing the tradition they all revere. They wasted no time in coming together so they could get those girls together. 

New Orleanians are known for being laissez-faire. The Big Easy: the place where people get drunk out in the open and everybody bursts into a second line whenever a brass band plays. The African American masking Indians are an example of the complexity of New Orleans. Yes, they show out through pomp and circumstance on Mardi Gras day. And they also make sure their young hold all the people of the community in high regard. At the private meeting, the big queens didn’t dismiss that sometimes you could have beef with another person, whether they were a part of your tribe or not. But nothing justifies you publicly disparaging or straight out fighting another Black woman in the middle of the street while wearing regalia that identifies you as a queen.