Excerpt from Audio Interview

“In coming up and watching my father’s work, the feathers were always routinely basically the same, so I have to take this object and look at it and try to visualize something that I had never seen before. His work is like my road map, I know I have to take and go a different route.”

“My daddy would always say, no matter what was going on in life, Mardi Gras Day, you got to be in the feathers.”

Excerpt from Audio Interview

“What it is I do, there is no other place in the world, that I can do what I do other than New Orleans, and I’m clear about my mission. I’m a part of New Orleans. I’m a part of the fiber of New Orleans. I’m here for the long haul, regardless.”

Although his father, Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana was chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Indian Tribe, Darryl Montana is not merely following in his father's footsteps. While both men have each made significant contributions to the art form of costuming and "masking", Darryl has actively sought to expand his role within this tradition even further.

In his costuming, each year Montana pushes himself to make his suits "bigger and better," to the point that they are now comprised of up to five hundred various sized pieces of sequined and/or beaded fabric. Just as impressive is the dimensional aspect of his costumes, with the form of the headdresses and body costumes projecting out in a manner reminiscent of ancient Aztec ceremonial dress.

Montana's view of himself within this craft heritage is that of an artist, a marked departure from earlier generations of African-Americans, who developed and maintained this tradition of Mardi Gras since the 1880's. At its onset the Indian tradition was a way for African-Americans to participate in the Mardi Gras celebrations and to acknowledge the influence of Native American culture in their blended heritage. Over the years the tradition has been re-interpreted and reinvigorated by subsequent generations. Darryl Montana's own artistry is blended with his experience as an educator, and he has been able to effectively reach both a national and international audience in his efforts to educate others about this tradition.