Black Masking Indians Sewing Workshop

Step into a space of culture and creativity as you learn to sew and design your own indian suit. Preserved by New Orleans Indian tradition, this work is a vibrant, spiritual practice of resistance and cultural pride, expressed through every stitch. 

For generations, our people carried forward sacred traditions of sewing, singing, drumming, and dancing as a way to preserve our indigenous identity, honor ancestors, and resist erasure. Many of those ancestors were reclassified in 1924, but the culture never disappeared, it lived on through practice.

Creating a suit is a deeply spiritual process. Each bead, stitch, and design carries intention, like a prayer made visible. This slow, detailed work reflects the patience, endurance, and creativity of our ancestors.

Drumming is the engine of the tribe. It is the bridge between the living and the ancestors. The rhythm aligns the body and spirit, creating a shared frequency that connects past and present. It fuels the energy, movement, and presence of the masker.

Through chants and call-and-response, voices echo traditions carried across generations. These sounds are communication and a living link to those who came before. 

Dancing is how our ancestors moved with meaning. It is how space was reclaimed when access was denied. 

When we “Suit up” we become a vessel for ancestral energy, honoring our indigenous American ancestors who survived forced labor.

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