The White Eagles/​Black Indians of New Orleans

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Copied Marilyn Nance, The White Eagles/Black Indians of New Orleans, 1980, gelatin silver print, sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 7⁄8 in. (40.4 x 50.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1994.66.2, © 1980, Marilyn Nance

Artwork Details

Title
The White Eagles/​Black Indians of New Orleans
Artist
Date
1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 7⁄8 in. (40.4 x 50.4 cm.)
Copyright
© 1980, Marilyn Nance
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • African American
  • Performing arts — music
  • Cityscape — Louisiana — New Orleans
  • Dress — costume — Indian costume
  • Ceremony — festival — New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest.
Object Number
1994.66.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.66.2

Artwork Description

Nance’s photography is about her spiritual realization that all African Americans are connected, in some way, to one another. In White Eagles/Black Indians of New Orleans, African Americans dress in costumes influenced by the ceremonial dress of Native Americans as part of Mardi-Gras, the annual pre-Lenten celebration in New Orleans. One theory suggests that this custom began as a tribute by African Americans to Native Americans for helping runaway slaves; another suggests that it is a way of celebrating similarities between two minority cultural groups.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012