Black Feather Big Chief Lionel Delpit has become an ancestor

The Mardi Gras Indian Nation celebrated the life of Black Feather Big Chief Lionel Delpit in New Orleans,  Saturday, July 16, 2011. Photo by Michael Luke for WWL-TV.

After a long and courageous battle with several health issues, Black Feather Big Chief Lionel Delpit became an ancestor on July 7, 2011.

Big Chief Delpit started masking as a member of the Yellow Pocahontas group before establishing the Black Feather in 1992. He was known for his elaborate three-dimensional suits, spirited dancing, and soulful singing. He performed as part of numerous events throughout his lifetime, as local as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and as far away as a festival in Martinique. Recently, he was one of the Big Chiefs honored as part of the City of New Orleans Katrina V commemoration. He appeared in Season One of the HBO series Tremé in the scene in which real Big Chiefs join "Big Chief Albert Lambreaux" in singing "Indian Red" at the home of his Wild Man who perished in Katrina.

Memorial Indian practices/community processions will be held daily on the corner of Frenchmen and North Robertson Streets until the funeral.

Trouble Nation Big Chief Markeith Tero is serving as the funeral liaison for the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame.
 
All condolences to Big Chief Delpit's family, gang members, and friends.

Funeral for Big Chief Lionel Delpit


Friday, July 15, 2011
6-8 pm Visitation

Professional Funeral Services
1620 Elysian Fields Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70117


Saturday, July 16, 2011
9:00 am Visitation
10:00 am Service
Followed by a traditional Mardi Gras Indian funeral ritual and procession

Abiding Faith Temple
2501 Urquhart St.
New Orleans, LA 70117

Big Chief Delpit's feature obituary in the New Orleans Times-Picayune

 Photo essay on Big Chief Delpit's Funeral Processsion
(Photos by Michael Luke for WWL-TV)

 New Orleans Times-Picayune coverage of Big Chief Delpit's funeral

Louisiana Weekly: "Lionel Delpit, icon of the Mardi Gras Indian
community, dies at age 54"

Offbeat: Big Chief Lionel Delpit Funeral Procession Photos
(Photos by Kim Welsh for Offbeat)