New Orleans

New Orleans is at the roots of American culture. Casting a Caribbean shadow, the city was founded by the French in 1718. The nearly 300 year-old Crescent City has a proud community whose continuing local traditions still play out in the streets of the city. Katrina is a decade behind, and the city is bouncing back with a restored interest in cultural preservation. But fame will not guarantee its longevity. Land loss, climate change, and social changes threaten the longevity of this living historical treasure. The flux of interest in NOLA culture in the digital age brings its share of challenges to the small community of culture-bearers continuing the local traditions. Tourists from all over come to the Big Easy to take in and photograph these unique and colorful traditions. This has created a rift between photographers and the community who feel taken advantage of by these outsiders. Mardi Gras Indians often have a sense of resentment toward unknown photographers who they feel prey on their hard work and traditions to sell photos. Despite the extensive documentation occurring today, there is little real understanding outside the city of the full scope of the traditions and its actors.