While Mardi Gras has looked different around New Orleans this year, one group decided to honor the day in a special way. Demond Melancon, big chief of the Young Seminole tribe from the 9th Ward, told WDSU that he and some friends placed a Mardi Gras Indian suit display at the site of a former confederate monument in Mid-City. Melancon said the display acts as a tribute to everyone who has been lost to the virus.
"We got up last night like the regular time we're getting out on Mardi Gras Day and put this up, sticking to the guidelines, staying 6 feet away from each other," he said.
The display, which is expected to stay up until Ash Wednesday, sits at the site of the former Jefferson Davismonument that was removed in 2017. The monument is located on Norman C. Francis Parkway, which was recently renamed from the previous moniker of Jefferson Davis Parkway.
Melancon said the display pays tribute to all who have died from COVID-19 in the past year, many of whom were important figures from Mardi Gras Indian tribes, the news outlet reports.
"The people are the king this year, you know, dealing with COVID," he said. "All the people we done lost, that's what this suit represents. It represents love and happiness on a Mardi Gras Day."
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