Here are three DEATH sites (in no particular order) that I've explored that intersect with the work that others are doing:
1. The tomb of Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau was a free woman of color and a devout Catholic who became the "Voodoo Queen" in New Orleans in the late 19th century. Her manipulation of political secrets gained as a hairdresser to the upper echelons of NO society and her business acumen (commercializing rituals) made her an acknowledged leader in the community. Her powerful gris-gris, knowledge of spells, and her snake Zombi made her arguably the most powerful American voodooienne in history. Today, her tomb is revered by those who petition her (by marking 3 X's on the stone) to help them with their spells.
I think that Marie's tomb serves as a complex metaphor for a number of the issues we are exploring: Karen mentioned the free people of color community, of which Marie was a part. Also, there was a real performativity in her creation of a unified voodoo practice that expands how we might think about "new orleans theatre." Finally, the fact that her tomb is still a literal site of interaction with the past shows the way in which history is still very much alive in the present In NOLA.
2. The disappearance of Jacques Lafitte
Jacques Lafitte, pirate, American hero, French Creole, entrepreneur, Jew, civil engineer, diplomat. Lafitte is perhaps most well known for organizing his Baratarian army to support Andrew Jackson in fighting the battle of New Orleans during the war of 1812. For his efforts, he was pardoned of all his crimes. The establishment of NO was in great part due to the vibrant black market trade that Lafitte ran through the bayous from which he supplied discounted necessaries and goods to the city. After being made legitimate, however, Lafitte ran into increasing trouble with rumours that he remained a thief, which interferred with his participation in high society. He left NO for Texas, where he served as a privateer in the Texas war of independence. Once that was over, he was commanded to give up his fleet, so he set fire to everything and disappeared.
No one knows when, where, or how Lafitte died. The lack of a grave has led to rumors that he is buried in "every backyard." In many ways, I think this LACK points to some of the major issues surrounding NO of the past and today. First, there are a number of issues that have been overlooked, have disappeared, or been erased. Is our performance an act of recovery? Of archeology? In other ways, the absence of certain things have brought them more clearly to the public eye. (This may be particularly true of reconstruction efforts following Katrina.) Also, Lafitte lived in a period in NOLA history when it was a truly fascinating blend of culture, race, and religion. (See Quadroon Balls, for example).
3. Finally, a death practice that is entirely indigenous to NOLA is the jazz funeral. Youtube has got some clips of this--http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jazz+funeral&search=Search.
I am really taken with the notion of a dirge before "cutting loose the body" and a celebration following it. This may suggest a structure--solemnity to reverence to celebration.
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BOOKS
I forgot to add this part of my blog. There is a group that is gathering books for daycares in NOLA that were damaged in Katrina. Would this be something we could support--like ask every ATHE member to bring a favorite picture book (new or gently used). We could collect all of these and donate.
I was rereading an article in The Nation today, from their One Year After report that came out last September, and I found this crossover to be an interesting way to pick up on Meg's mention of Lafitte:
Lafitte is the name of one of the poor areas of NO, wherein the Lafitte Public Housing complex was hit by Katrina, but only sustained minor damage when the flood waters rose to about 3 feet. Residents of this area, "the center of black Mardi Gras," have not been allowed back in to thier homes. Just east of the French Quarter, this area comprises some prime real estate, and there were plans on the table for the "Lafitte Corrdior Development," through which the city would sell the propoerty to movie studio complexes. All of this continues an effort to do away with public housing by attritrion, a campaign the city had started before Katrina.
The homes were slated to be demolished, even though the demolition costs more than actually refurbishing the units. The community is fighting this, so no demolition has occurred, but the powers-that-be in the city are leaning towards this option.
Rents are rising in NO because of the lack of subsidized housing.
This isn't to say that the public housing system is without its problems; very few residents want the same thing back, but they are calling for a redevelopment program that includes them, not forces them out to make room for wealthier people.
At this time, more than 80% of the public housing units remain closed, even though many of them are in better condition than the places to which residents relocated.
Riffing off of Meg's post, this modern-Lafitte disappearance again points to the erasure of the most pressing issues of race and class, and the unequal rights granted along these lines, in NO. For more info, check out:
http://www.justiceforneworleans.org/
testing
Marie Laveau is also referenced in the influential meditation-on-death play _Terminal_ (1969), which was directed by Joe Chaikin. There is a whole rhythmic section of the play called "Marie Laveau and the Soldier" that was regarded as the show-stopper of that experimental work.
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