Donald Harrison Sr., Mardi Gras Indian Submitted By N.O.V.A. Times Picayune 12-3-1998 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr., a longtime Mardi Gras Indian and founder of the Guardians of the Flame tribe, died Tuesday of liver failure at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was 65. Mr. Harrison was a former Big Chief of the Creole Wild West, Cherokee Braves and White Eagles tribes before he organized the Guardians of the Flame in 1988. His Mardi Gras Indian involvement and his love for jazz encouraged the musical development of his son, saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., whose recordings combine jazz with traditional Mardi Gras Indian songs. Mr. Harrison's interest in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition began in 1937, when, as a child of 3, he witnessed the explosive street performance of Wild Man Herman Palmer of the Creole Wild West. He began to follow the neighborhood Uptown Indian gangs, attending practices and learning the traditions from the older Indians. He started beading costumes at 12, learning to make the intricate designs without a loom, preferring to hold the beads in his hands. The first year he masked as an Indian for Carnival was 1949. Throughout his life, Mr. Harrison studied the history of American Indians. Drafted into the Army and stationed in Fort Niagara, N.Y., during the early 1950s, he frequently visited the nearby Seneca reservation. There, he learned many of the ceremonial dances, incorporating the steps into his own performances on Mardi Gras and St. Joseph's night. As Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, he was invited to participate in a Pow-Wow in New Mexico, and he lectured at Yale University on the history of the Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans. The last Indian suit he prepared for Carnival depicted the Trail of Tears, the path followed by the surviving members of the Cherokee nation after their forcible removal from Southern states. He included in the beadwork the face of surrealist painter Salvador Dali to represent the U.S. government. "It was a surreal time in America," Mr. Harrison explained. Commenting on Mr. Harrison's role as Big Chief, Robert "Robbe" Lee, chief of chiefs of the New Orleans Indian Council, said, "Donald always masked for himself and for others, and that's the way a chief is supposed to mask. A chief is supposed to take care of himself and have room in his heart to take care of other fellows, too." Expecting to mask for Mardi Gras 1999, Mr. Harrison already had begun to work on his costume. Over the years, his costumes evolved, and he stopped using sequins in favor of thousands of aurora borealis rhinestones, which reflect the sunlight. He believed that an Indian suit should be lightweight, giving him the freedom to run and dance. Through his daughter, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, a teacher at Haley Elementary School, Mr. Harrison visited local public schools, taking the time to explain the traditions to the students. He once said: "I love to go to the public schools. I can explain something that the students can be proud of in their history, something they may not even be aware of." A side of Mr. Harrison that many people never saw was his love for learning and philosophy, said Al Kennedy, visiting scholar at the Midlo Center at the University of New Orleans. "When we first spoke, he asked me, 'Are you hip to Camus?"'- a reference to French philosopher Albert Camus, whose works he devoured, Kennedy said. Mr. Harrison read more than 40 books a year, and he knew intimately the works of many philosophers, theologians and essayists. Working as a waiter, he would use the breaks between lunch and dinner to go to the public library and read philosophy or listen to jazz. He believed that knowledge was a commodity that no one can take from you, Kennedy said. "I had a thirst for knowledge," he once said. "I had to know things." Mr. Harrison worked for the Postal Service for nine years, earning a Distinguished Service Award. He also was an executive board member and president of Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Employees Local Union No.166. He recorded with his son on Donald Harrison Jr.'s "Indian Blues" CD, and also recorded with Percussion Incorporated and appeared on a WWOZ Radio compilation CD. He toured Europe, lecturing at a university in Germany, and performed with visiting groups from New Zealand and at an Academy Awards party in Los Angeles. In 1997 he was awarded the Mayor's Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Arts Council of New Orleans. Besides his son, survivors include his wife, Herreast J. Harrison; three daughters, Cherice Harrison-Nelson and Michele J. and Cara Harrison; a brother, Edwin F. Harrison Sr.; two sisters, Yvonne Combre and Gloria Lee; and four grandchildren. A Mass will be said Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1210 Gov. Nicholls St. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m., followed by a musical tribute at 10 a.m. A traditional jazz funeral will follow the Mass. Burial will be in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3.