Je n'arrête pas.

A year ago.

Tody Rodriguez- Villain
Photo credit: Gwen Aucoin

Les Mardi Gras vient de tout partout,

Tout à l’entour, l’entour du moyeu.

Ҫa passe une fois par an demander la charité.

Quand même si c’est une patate, une patate, et des gratons.

“WAKE UP MARDI GRAS!”

Les Mardi Gras sont sur un grand voyage

Tout à l’entour, l’entour du moyeu.

Ҫa passe une fois par an demander la charité.

Quand même si c’est une poule maigre et trois ou quatre coton maïs.

“I SAID WAKE UP MARDI GRAS!”

Capitaine, capitaine voyage ton flag,

Allons chez l’autre voisin demander la charité

Vous autres venir nous joindre,

Vous autres venir nous joindre quais au gumbo ce soir.

“BETTER HAVE YOUR MASK AND COSTUME ON WHEN YOU WALK OUTTA THAT TENT!”

_____________________________________________________

The roar of the villains voice outside was ensued by a thick twine rope smashing the frozen rain fly. The ice went crashing and splintered into millions of shards. It sounded like rain but it was hail. Packpackpackpleeen. It was cold- so cold. It was cold the night before, it was cold when you woke up, and it was cold the rest of that day. That wet Louisiana cold that pierces every layer and chills you down to the bone. I unzipped the tent, put on my boots, and looked around. People walked in from the front following a path that was worn into the earth. These people were dressed in costumes from head to foot. Lofty, pointed cone shaped hats- capuchons. Mocking traditional nobility, clergy, and educated. Masks to conceal your identity made of wire mesh with accoutrements. Dressed in patchwork and fringe. Role reversal is a common play. Women pose as men, the poor as rich, humans as beasts. Mockery and parody, mockery and parody.

My krewe woke up in a rush and hastily dressed. I did not clothe right away and the villains looked at me as they passed. Every time they did I ducked behind the tent to hide. I peeked and they saw me.

“YOU BETTER HURRY UP CAUSE WE’RE COMING THAT WAY NEXT!”

His whip cracked like a thousand lightning strikes and it birthed a weird sense of fear within my mind.

“I need a beer. A beer... hopefully they aren't all frozen.”

I found a beer and opened it, sounded just like that crack of that whip. It’s the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday- Mardi Gras. Six-thirty in the morning. The sun would have peered through if it wasn't for the overcast clouds. Five layers of wool and my costume went over it all. I tied my hat tight but left my mask off. I walked to the road and the villains threatened to whip me.

"GET THAT MASK ON OR YOUR GONNA GET THE WHIP!"

Their whip snapped into the wet pavement.

I looked at them, dead in the eye with my chin held straight-

"I'm your queen."

"SHE'S THE QUEEN, DON'T WHIP HER!"

Both of their voices coward away as they came to the realization that I am immune, sort of speak, to the power that they held. "They are the enforcers. They make sure we [the runners] keep our masks on and participate." The Villains are a symbol of authority- an authority that the Mardi Gras can, and should, rebel against. They can choose to rebel or they can choose to lay down. But royalty can guide them, Mardi Gras royalty has a certain power over the villains. They can send them to whip people, they can request items for consumption- however they cannot protect. A villain named Toby came to my place of rest and said for me to meet them when I was ready. When I arrived to meet my villain guards, they all took a knee in respect of my presence. 

"THIS IS YOUR QUEEN! SHE HAS IMMUNITY FROM YOUR WRATH! YOU ARE THERE TO PROTECT HER AND TEND TO HER WISHES AND DEMANDS...THAT ARE WITHIN REASON."

Toby turned his head to look at me as he says that last bit. I chuckled and accepted his words.

"My queen, what can I call you?"

"Queen Zozo!"

I heard from the troop of seven- all winding their way up from their knees

"AH! Zozo!"

 "How lovely and simple!"

 "Queen Zozo!"

 "My Queen Zozo!"

Immediately after, the villains got up and came to coddle my desires. 

"Bebé, do you need anything? Can I get you anything? Some whiskey, no?"

"No, I do not need anything at the moment."

The rain started trickling down in a drizzle and I began my walk to where the runners flocked. My pace left the sounds of the villain whips flogging the ground with the chants of the Mardi Gras song-

Les Mardi Gras vient de tout partout,

Tout à l’entour, l’entour du moyeu.

Ҫa passe une fois par an demander la charité.

Quand même si c’est une patate, une patate, et des gratons.

Les Mardi Gras sont sur un grand voyage

Tout à l’entour, l’entour du moyeu.

Ҫa passe une fois par an demander la charité.

Quand même si c’est une poule maigre et trois ou quatre coton maïs.

Capitaine, capitaine voyage ton flag,

Allons chez l’autre voisin demander la charité

Vous autres venir nous joindre,

Vous autres venir nous joindre quais au gumbo ce soir.

Villains' congregation before they set off.

Photo credit: Cameron Mehl 

Courir de Mardi Gras- the Louisiana country Mardi Gras; The Mardi Gras Run. A tradition that was brought to the rural prairies of Louisiana through the exiles of Acadie, the exodus of my people. But pre-dates European medieval times. The day before Ash Wednesday they went begging for ingredients to make a gumbo. A flag bearing capitaine lead a band of revelers, some on foot, some on horseback. They dressed in rags and fringe, and went neighbor to neighbor- house to house. They played music, they sang, they danced, and they begged. Begged for a chicken to be thrown, corn cobs to be had, or rice to be given. We still beg, two hundred years later and we still beg for chicken and rice. This tradition is made up of imitation. But jokery with intent. Many theories of the "truest" reason of the Mardi Gras exist, but none can be or have been deemed exclusive. The essence of this tradition has purpose, the very root of our culture evolves around community. The trip around the town commences a begging ritual not only to attain a gumbo ingredient stockpile but also to inquire about the health and well-being of the back road inhabitants.

L'hiver est d'enfer.

Il y'a fois jours et nuits.

Mardi Gras nous sauve. 

Growing up I had always been aware of this 'event' if you will. I knew that it was a thing to be celebrated. I remember going to class dressed in a fringed shirt with bells attached with a pointed hat and a mask to match. I remember asking my teacher if I could give my classmates beads and doubloons. I understood this was a 'thing', but I didn't understand the concept of my peers not knowing what the hell I was doing and why. Those kids gave me eyes, they all made faces and laughed at me for going to school in a courir de mardi gras costume. But it was what I knew. It was and continues to be apart of my identity, this tradition runs in my blood. Whether I knew it or not, I seemed to have always felt it.

My courir de mardi gras costume from 16 years ago.

A year ago, I experienced the Faquetaigue Courir de Mardi Gras, hosted by none other than Joel and Kelli-Jones Savoy out in Eunice, Louisiana. It was a notable year, I grabbed the first annual lundi gras royalty contest, remaining Queen of Faquetaigue until the next one is crowned. The run itself was iced. I witnessed literal ice cycles form in bearded men, fringes were frozen in place on costumes. I spent this year on the Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras along side some of my best guy friends. That particular run is enduring all unto itself. There is no denying the fact that this tradition, as with most folk communities, is patriarchal. And most of these traditional chickens runs have remained so over the years and will continue to uphold that status of being strictly all-male runs. Church Point is no different. Knowing this, I was still determined to complete it equal with the male counterparts. History is as stated by the Saddle Tramp Riders Club...

Elton Richard first formally organized the Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras in 1961. Until that point individual groups of men would ride horse back through the country on Mardi Gras Day begging for ingredients,or money with which to buy ingredients, for a communal gumbo. The first organized courir included approximately 400 horsemen. Elton Richard of Church Point and Senator Paul Tate of Mamou decided that each town needed its own courir and they flipped a coin to decide which town would have its courir on Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day, or on the Sunday before Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, the French term for Fat Tuesday, is held on the eve of the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. The results of the toss determined that Mamou would conduct its courir on Mardi Gras Day and the Church Point courir would take place on the Sunday before Mardi Gras.
On Louisiana's Cajun Prairie northwest of Lafayette, the annual celebration before the beginning of Lent takes on a completely different form. The first Acadians brought "Le Courir de Mardi Gras" or the "Running of the Mardi Gras" to French Louisiana when they immigrated to the area in the 1750's. The custom of European peasants merrymaking before a period of fasting and penitence was handed to them from medieval times and was practiced by the Romans before then.
Traditionally, the rural Mardi Gras of today in Church Point is the same as it was in the old days of the early settlers. Men only can participate in the Courir (run). Tradition requires that all Mardi Gras be fully masked and costumed.
Le Capitaine (The Captain) heads the group and he and his co-capitaines must ride unmasked. The first Capitaine was the founder of the Church Point Mardi Gras. The Capitaine is allowed to retain his title year after year until he chooses to relinquish it and then hands it down to the man of his choice. Each year the Capitaine appoints his co-capitains for the run that year.

The morning started out rough, a cup of coffee and a link of boudin. 7 o'clock we head out to Church Point. Park, walk, walk, arrive. Trailers upon trailers of masked revelers, dozens of hooved legs waiting in line. Bowing heads, reins being tossed. I hear all of the horse bits being masticated. The participants looked at us as if we are some sort of foreigner in a territory that belongs to a particular people. For which we essentially were. This male dominated scene posed a threat to my senses, almost fear inducing. My stance striked an assured form. My back straightened with a slightly rounded shoulder, my hips moved inward, my legs held a proportionally balanced weight. I didn't dare throw a hip or purse a lip for fear of undoubted humiliation. It's funny now that I look back at that moment, I should have accepted the fact that I was obviously not welcomed. But that lone reason, that singular moment pushed my want further. I was setting off on a conquest. Because I knew, I knew the rules and regulations of this run. I knew what I was getting myself into and what could consequently happen if I disobeyed. Louisiana French women are traditionally identified with the ideal values of home, family, childrearing and order. Women are cross-culturally associated with passivity and submissiveness, compliance and obedience. Women traditionally play supportive parts which are more or less extensions of their domestic roles: they sew the Mardi Gras costumes, cook the gumbo served at the end of the run, applaud and dance with the maskers. They revel on the side, overlooking the aggression, rowdiness, and antics that that day of parody play elicits. They skirt around wearing gardes soleils and aprons with a needle and thread in their pocket to sew up any little tear that may happen. Mardi Gras runs have frequently been described in terms of male values and competences, as an initiation rite which defines manhood and a celebration of cowboy machismo. But with this tradition of role-reversal, where lies the intended subliminal statement of female empowerment? These contrasting values are intertwined in barbed wire and have been challenged since the break of WWII. Carolyn E. Ware writes

At least one oral account offers a description of women running Mardi Gras near Soileau during the early decades of the twentieth century (Courville 1992), but female Mardi Gras are primarily characteristic of the decades following World War II. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, women formed "ladies' runs" in at least six (and probably more) prairie Cajun communities. 

A woman Mardi Gras. Photo: Carolyn Ware.

The women Mardi Gras visit a house. Photo: Carolyn Ware.

It seemed instantaneous, from the point of arrival to when the Capitaine raised his flag and whipped it around and around. He chanted "ALLONS MARDI GRAS!" Shrieks and yells, and screams were emitted from the masqueraders. After the horses flooded the streets following the runners, I cloaked my facade and I left in a trotting state in pursue of a familiar silhouette. I galloped to find the trailer that hosted someone I knew. Nothing except a bottle of Irish Whiskey in hand, my costumed body and masked face to protect me. A backdrop of dimmed sunlight exposed by overcast clouds encompassed the already sweat dewed faces of the costumed runners. The faces became visible the closer I got to them. I found a krewe. Was it the krewe that included me? It wasn't, in all reality, because as many people as you may know en route, you will always be alone and on your own. Masked and costumed with fringes up to your neck, preserved anonymity is performed at its best. But I was able to find unmasked faces that resembles my friends. I offered them the remains of my Cajun coffee that got me started in a harsh manner. I was recognized by my guise, entire black with silver undertones with a plague doctor beak and a pirated hat, but applauded by my effort of disguise. I knew I was unwelcomed on the trailer itself, so I walked along the side. But walking did not allow an in time stride so I began a jogged pace. That was the only way to stay equal with my counterparts. Once the guys figured out I was female, they made me work to be able stay in the Mardi Gras. However, the Capitaines didn't take lightly to my presence. I tempted to invade, sort of speak, the trailer. I did manage to step foot and remain planted for a few minutes while I exchanged tongues. Then, a roar stilled my motions and discomposed my mind.

"I'm not going to be nice! 

Get your beak and get the fuck off my Mardi Gras!" 

I assumed he was talking to me, the one who was wearing fringed leggings and silver tipped cowboy boots that obviously accentuated my back and bosom. I crissed my legs and swung ever so slightly with bent knees. He points to the stairs. My inebriated mind wanted to throw a défi. Une challenge. A challenge, to challenge that Capitaine that dare question my ability to stand with these men. But instead, I composed my psyche, curtsied and bowed my head, and walked to the end. I shoved past a pack of beasts, throwing elbows and shoulders to get through. I yelled at the Mardi Gras that stood complacently on the stairs.

"ALLEZ-Y MARDI GRAS! MOVE MARDI GRAS!"

Photo: Sarah Zaunbrecher

I jumped from the moving trailer onto the street, only to be gazed upon by the masked horse riders. Did I care that I was identified? No, because me being the stubborn bull I am, was not about to give up at the laughter of these boys. I continued trekking but was stopped by a shoulder grab of a hard-hatted man. He wasn't in costume, nor was he masked in any way. But by the tone of his voice, I knew exactly who it was. Monsieur Blake Thibodeaux, of Church Point. A friend of whom I've known in passing for the past year. He lifted my hat to slightly reveal my face. He had such a worried look on his face. He asked me "Are you okay? Do you know why they kicked you off? I told you to keep your hat on and to stay low." I interrupted his inquiries, "I understand the risks and consequences that come along with attempting to participate in this run as a female. I'm fine." He smiled and compared me to Rosa Parks, the one who defiantly remained sitting in a particular buss seat when the law told her to do otherwise. But strict laws pertaining to the uninvited females on these courirs are continued to be upheld every year.

"Popular author Harnett Kane, in his 1943 book The Bayous of Louisiana, wrote that the country Mardi Gras run is 'primarily for men and horses.' Its begging, singing, and riotous horseplay, he commented, 'has no place for the girls . . . although there is a happy fais-do-do [dance] in the evening.'" -Carolyn E. Ware  

The Cajun community has historically been a very closed Catholic society, particularly, in which girls did not have a great deal of behavioral leeway. Looking at the lyrical context of Cajun French songs, more often than not, they depict females in relation to their male correspondent. Being referred to as "unconventional" or "unavailable", girls are a melodic source of unhappiness, heartbreak, and are nevertheless a dangerous and a potential cause of misery to men. Cajun women evidently understood their domestic part; so don't get me wrong, many women enjoyed their supportive roles and accepted the fact that only men ran Mardi Gras and clearly grasped the "It wasn't a custom that we [girls] did run" concept. But eventually, though—maybe inevitably—some women decided that they too wanted to mask and run Mardi Gras. As possibly some have put it before-

"We wanted in on the fun, not just to work all the time."

Yes, females may be pretty, little, and fickle. Characterized as meek, frail, maybe even porcelain like. But such generalizations don't come without exception.

"Other women, though, are a match for any male Mardi Gras in their roughhousing. Some have said proudly, 'We're the chicken chasers . . .  [always] in the mud and the barbed wire.'"  -Carolyn E. Ware 

The challenging of superior authority is not a Joan of Arc seizure of power. I am not here to change the tradition. I masked as a rebellious figure to recount the maintenance of the tradition.
This is how I, along with a few others, participate in the preservation of our culture. The endeavor of objection. Mardi Gras, a day to revel and parade in masquerade and costumed bodies. A day to ride the play of beasts' antics, whom one is truly not. So why should I stand on the side and simply view a demonstration of 200 plus men make a trek of cultural importance on a day that evokes character transposition? That's not even a question for me to barter with.

A sixteen mile trail on foot,

a fifth of whiskey,
and a hanker of a thousand desires.

 J'ai challengé et je y'ai fini. 

Mais, je n'arrête pas. 

Merci.

   

Photo: Paul Kieu