The opportunity to witness the tribes of New Orleans is a rare experience that most people recount and remember for the rest of their lives. One of the leading tribes in the city is the Congo Square Nation which keeps alive one of the offshoot cultures developed by early African inhabitants of that city. The name of the tribe derives from the public square in the Tremé district of New Orleans at which African residents have historically gathered.
At Moscow’s 2014 Usadba Jazz Festival members of the Congo Square Nation led by Big Chief Donald Harrison will wear elaborately adorned suits (costumes) which are inspired by the designs of African tribes from all over that continent and made new each year. The suits sometimes have up to 30 kinds of feathers with the main feathers being African ostrich plumes. The suits are fastened with 20 to 30 hand-beaded pictures that contain thousands of beads and are highlighted with rhinestones. What makes the beaded pieces so extraordinary is that they can take one to three months to craft. Each of these beaded pieces is part of a storyboard where the wearer is able to tell stories through the use of art.
Another aspect of The Congo Square Nation is the highly stylized African-influenced movements and dance steps, integrated with the music. These elements, along with the suits themselves, allow each tribal member to demonstrate how much he or she has learned about the Tribe’s history and culture.
The traditional music accompanying tribe appearances is comprised of call and response chants over Congolese rhythms played by tambourines, djembe, bass drums, cowbells, and all manner of percussion.