Big Chief Demond Melancon
CBS News

New Orleans artist and "beadmaster" Demond Melancon

Michelle Miller explores the centuries-old Carnival tradition of Black Masking in New Orleans, tracing its roots to the city’s Afro-Indigenous cultural history and the resistance practices that emerged among formerly enslaved communities. In conversation with artist Demond Melancon, she examines the intricate craftsmanship and cultural symbolism behind the elaborate, hand-beaded suits he creates as Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters Black Masking Tribe. The segment highlights how these monumental suits—often requiring thousands of hours of labor—honor ancestral memory, assert cultural pride, and sustain a living tradition that continues to shape the visual and spiritual landscape of Carnival.