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The street musicians featured in HBO's hit TV series Treme make the best money playing the high-traffic tourist areas, such as Jackson Square and Royal Street (during the day). The real estate around Jackson Square is too valuable to just hang out, and those just sitting around will be nudged aside in favor of folks who want to make money. When the buskers want some down-time, they often congregate by Washington Square in Faubourg Marigny.

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Washington Square is a nice public park in the city's second-oldest neighborhood. Faubourg Marigny is the area just to the east (downriver) from the French Quarter. It's named after Bernard Mandeville de Marigny, who owned the plantation that sat on what is now the faubourg. In 1806, Bernard subdivided the plantation and sold lots in the area. Over the years, "the Marigny" has become a residential extension of the French Quarter. As the Quarter becomes more commercial and tourist-y, those who want to live there migrate more and more to the Marigny.

That's what you see with the street musicians in the show. Annie and Sonny often play in the 500-600 blocks of Frenchmen, which attracts a bit of a crowd in the evenings. There are a number of restaurants and clubs in the Marigny, so it's all logical.

Washington Square as a hangout is also logical, which is why Annie and Harley Watts (played by Steve Earle) are out along the fence. Annie watches as Steve works on a song he's writing, and ends up contributing some lyrics.

Originally named "Founders Park," Washington Square takes its name from the first President, but indirectly. It's actually named in honor of the Washington Artillery, which is now a unit of the Louisiana National Guard. The Washington Artillery (141st Artillery) has seen action in every war the US has fought in, from the Mexican War in 1845 to the Iraq war of 2003.

The photo above is a shot of the square from the late 1800s by George Mugnier.

Jackson Square, New Orleans, 1895Yes, I know, Jackson Square is in the Vieux Carre, not Faubourg Treme, but it plays an important role in the HBO series, Treme. There's no better place for street musicians to play than around the Square. Three sides of Jackson Square are blocked off as a pedestrian mall, St. Ann and St. Peter Streets on either side (in front of the Pontalba buildings), and Chartres Street, between the Square and St. Louis Cathedral. The wrought iron fence around Jackson Square is the domain of the artists. Working in all media, the artists set up their easels next to the fence and hang their wares for sale on the fence. Spaced a bit out from the artists are the tarot readers and other fortune tellers. The artists often clash with the fortune tellers, making for interesting situations. Now, magicians encroach on the Square, adding another social class to the mix. The musicians don't need to be on the shady, perfectly-lit spot, so they play in the middle of the closed-off streets. In the beginning of Ep 9, Annie and another busker are playing right outside the main gate of the Square, in front of the cathedral. This is prime real estate for the musicians; if you're not playing and making money, someone is going to come in and play to move you out. Notice how, when Annie watches Harley Watts (played by folk musician Steve Earle) work on a song, they're over by Washington Park on Frenchmen rather than at the Square.The photo above is in the New Orleans Public Library's collections. It dates from 1895. Other than a few minor changes (no benches to sit on, no cupola on The Presbytere are two immediately visible), Jackson Square hasn't changed all that much in over 100 years.

Mardi Gras Indian, photo by Kerry Maloney

One of the main story lines in Treme examines the subculture that are the New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians. Albert Lambreaux (played by Clarke Peters) is a "Big Chief" of an Indian tribe, the Guardians of the Flame.

There are a number of theories as to why African-Americans in New Orleans began to mask as Indians, ranging from honoring Native American traditions to the hopes that acting like them would enable blacks to "pass." While the latter may have been a motivation for early Indian tribes, the tradition has such deep roots in the black communities of New Orleans that now it's "a black thing" as the t-shirts in Underground Atlanta proclaim.

Mardi Gras Indian, "Super Sunday" 2009, photo by Julia Pretus

Indian tribes are neighborhood groups. They often refer to themselves as "gangs." Every year their costumes would become more fanciful and elaborate, culminating in beautiful outfits worn over the last few decades. To paraphrase the song, every year, at Carnival time, the Indians make a new suit. It's considered bad form to wear last year's costume; in fact, many Indians would strip the feathers and beads from their suits, then burn the rest. In recent years, however, many Indians wear their older suits for corporate gatherings, conventions, and other tourism events in the city. This helps them offset the cost of the "new suit," which can set them back over $5,000 each!

Young Mardi Gras Indian, "Super Sunday" 2009, photo by Julia Pretus

Masking is a family event for many tribes. While their history is spotted with incidents of violence, today's Indians focus less on drinking and fighting and more on community.

Mardi Gras Indian, photo by Kerry Maloney

The tribes traditionally come out for Carnival Day, then re-appear for "Super Sunday," the Sunday closest to St. Joseph's Day (March 19th). On Mardi Gras, downtown and uptown tribes alike would make their way to the neighborhoods around the turning basin of the New Basin Canal, on the uptown side of Canal Street, where they would parade and dance. Pride in their costumes, neighborhoods, and tribes would often lead to violence, hence references to the "battlefield."

The Guardians of the Flame from HBO's Treme.

In the show, The Guardians of the Flame emerge from Poke's Bar in the Treme on Super Sunday. The tribe did not mask for Carnival, 2006, because Big Chief Albert was incarcerated at Central Lockup. Albert and his gang came out in classic style, with three costumed Indians: Spy Boy, Flag Boy, and Big Chief.

When marching through the streets, the Spy Boy would run two-three blocks ahead of the main group, literally spying for other Indians. The Spy Boy stays in visual contact with the Flag Boy, who carries the tribe's banner. In an interview, the late Big Chief "Tootie" Montana (whose daughter is a member of the Treme cast) explains that Spy Boys used to be lightly costumed so they could do their jobs in stealth. Nowadays, however, a tribe's Spy Boy will often be elaborately costumed and carry a stick. Only a Chief would be permitted to carry a stick in earlier times.

Big Chief Albert Lambreaux of the Guardians of the Flame from HBO's Treme.

Spy...Flag...Big Chief...the Guardians of the Flame head out on Super Sunday. The fictional tribe gets its name from the tribe of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. His son, Donald, Jr., is an accomplished musician and Chief of the Congo Nation. Donald Jr. appeared in the pilot, playing with Delmond Lambreaux. The Lambreauxs are loosely based on the Harrisons. The Spy Boy of the fictional tribe is played by Otto DeJean, who is Big Chief of the 7th Ward Hard Head Hunters.

Mardi Gras Indian "Queen," on "Super Sunday" 2009, photo by Julia Pretus

Indian tribes usually have a "Queen." It's not surprising, since the women pitch in with all that sewing and often want to dress up.

Missing from the fictional Super Sunday march is the "Wild Man." The Wild Man wears a horned hat and, well, acts, wild. His job during the march is to clear the crowd in advance of the Indians and their Big Chief. The horned hat helps push people back in areas where crowds form. The Guardians of the Flame lost their Wild Man, Jesse, in the storm. A memorial service for Wild Man Jesse was held in Episode 3, which was attended by several real-life Big Chiefs and other Indian personalities. They chanted and sang "Indian Red," described by Dr. John as "their most sacred of songs."

The show depicts a peaceful meeting of two tribes, the Guardians of the Flame and the Congo Nation. The Spy Boys spot each other first, approach each other, strutting and dancing. The Flag Boys join the dance as they come up,finally joined by the Big Chiefs (Lambreaux and real-life Chief Donald Harrison, Jr.). These encounters could turn violent, as one tribe might demand that the other bow or kneel to them, acknowledging that their costumes and/or dancing was better. Indian pride being it is, this is where the phrase "won't bow down, don't know how" originates. The meeting of the Guardians of the Flame and the Congo Nation is non-violent, the Big Chiefs offering, as Delmond Lambreaux puts it, "respect for respect."

The two tribes pass each other, and the Guardians of the Flame encounter a white couple who are out photographing the Indians. They refer to Big Chief Lambreaux as "pretty," which is the highest praise one can give an Indian. As the couple shoots photos of Albert and his gang, several NOPD cars pull up. The history of violence among the tribes has always caused rocky relations between the Indians and the cops. After Super Sunday of 2005, a public hearing in the City Council chamber was held to work out the problems. "Chief of Chiefs" Tootie Montana literally died at the podium, suffering a massive heart attack as he made his case for the conflicts to cease. The show pays tribute to Big Chief Tootie, not only by having his son, Darryl (who is Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Hunters) make a guest appearance, but by having NOPD come out to Pokes prior to the post-storm Super Sunday to (hopefully) work out a plan with Albert.

The Indians are a wonderful part of Treme and the overall culture of the city. The series does a great job integrating them into the overall fabric.

Allison photo of the Magnolia Housing Project, 1958 (NOPL)

One of the interesting story lines of the HBO series Treme deals with the issue of housing in post-storm New Orleans. The city shut down all of its housing projects in the wake of the storm, creating an uproar as thousands of New Orleanians had no home to which to return.

In the show, Albert Lambreaux (that's pronounced "Al-bear" for those of you not from NOLA) is a carpenter and skilled craftsman whose house in the Gentilly neighborhood of the city was totally submerged. He's living in a barroom in Treme owned by a friend/acquaintance, making his way through the post-storm landscape. Lambreaux (who is played by actor Clarke Peters) is also the Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, one of the city's Mardi Gras Indian tribes. The Guardians of the Flame are fictional, but the writers are very accurate in their depiction of the Indians. One of Albert's primary concerns is getting his people back home. He demands action from the city leaders on re-opening the projects and eventually stages a sit-in at the Calliope projects. That incident generates a number of plot complications that make Treme good television, but it also illustrates the frustration many folks feel to this day.

CJ Peete Project, June, 2006, appoximately 5 months after Lambreaux's fictional occupation of the Calliope

The Housing Authority of New Orleans administers the projects. Like all-too-many government or quasi-governmental agencies in NOLA, it was rife with corruption, corruption that was often ignored because there was so little profit in the first place. After the storm, with so many black folks literally packed up and shipped out of state, Karl Rove, the lead strategist for the Bush administration on Gulf Coast recovery, saw this as an opportunity to move Louisiana solidly in the red column. (David Vitter's likely re-election to the US Senate this year is testament to the success of Rove's work.)

Affordable housing units are being re-built at some of the project sites. Will they be enough? Experts say no, creating problems in the service-industry and skilled labor pools. People don't want to leave the metro area, but living in the suburbs while trying to work downtown is difficult on a low income.

Just ask Treme musician Antoine Batiste.