Big Chief Demond Melancon lost his home because he was so consumed with making his beaded and feathered suit for Mardi Gras day. He tells Bill Whitaker that losing his home didn’t make him stop. “I’m preserving a culture,” he says. It can take thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to design and sew a suit. For years, Big Chief Demond was laying concrete and cooking lobsters, pouring all his spare time and money into his creations. He now makes a living as an artist. This year’s suit cost $25,000 to make. He says he sews from 6 a.m. to midnight every day. According to Mardi Gras Indian lore, the tradition dates back more than a century; the suits and headdresses are a sign of respect for the Native Americans who gave refuge to enslaved Black people who had escaped servitude in New Orleans. #neworleans #mardigras #mardigrasindians #beadwork