The White Cloud Hunters are a Black Masking Indian tribe rooted in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. Like their fellow tribes, they mask on Mardi Gras morning in elaborate, hand-sewn suits.

The tradition in the 9th Ward runs deep, and tribes like the White Cloud Hunters keep the culture strong in their neighborhood, meeting other gangs in the ritual of song, dance, and display.

Each suit takes a full year to sew by hand, bead by bead and feather by feather — a labor of love that honors the ancestors and the community.