Mardi Gras Indian chief prepares for Fat Tuesday and Grammys

REBECCA SANTANA
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One of the elders of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tradition is preparing this year for both the return of Mardi Gras after the pandemic hiatus and for a trip to the Grammys in April. Eighty-year-old Big Chief Joseph “Monk” Boudreaux heads a group called the Golden Eagles. Mardi Gras Indians are known for the elaborate, beaded and bejeweled suits they sew throughout the year and then present to the world on Fat Tuesday. Boudreaux is also a musician who has been nominated for his first Grammy for his Jamaican influenced album “Bloodstains and Teardrops.”