Author: mardi claw

Skinz N Bonez is an arts collective, and social aid and pleasure club from New Orleans. Formed in 2011, with the assistance of our "soul sweepers," Skinz N Bonez is known for their tradition of waking up the neighborhood on Mardi Gras morning. This tradition dates as far back as 1819 with the original male bone gangs (see Northside Skull and Bone). Skinz N Bonez is part of the renaissance of Mardi Gras krewes, social aid & pleasure clubs, Mardi Gras indians, and bone gangs that have risen since Hurricane Katrina. Bringing back a tradition long held only by male bone gangs in New Orleans, Skinz N Bonez wake up the living on Mardi Gras day, lending a feminine element to the morning with song and dance, chant and drum, and smiles on our faces. It is our goal not only to wake you up to greet the day, but to instill a sense of tradition and cultural significance to one of the oldest religious ceremonies in the world: Carnivale. In honor of that carnivale spirit, we shed our flesh, down to bone, and remind you that we are all mortal. Echoing the Day of the Dead / Dia de Los Muertos traditions of the Mexican people, and the European traditions of the dead to the living, we remind ourselves - and everyone else - that life is short. Enjoy each moment, and each tradition and custom, and pass it from one generation to the next. We bring the spirits of the past to the streets on Mardi Gras day. Join us in our celebration of honoring our ancestors.