If he could, Sandifer would also like to sell T-shirts, bearing his own photo or those of his tribal members. “I just try to keep anything I do down to a minimum.” “Nobody has said anything, but I’m trying to abide by the rules and regulations, to exist in the market,” he said. So Sandifer keeps it a little low key as he sings traditional Indian songs like “Ooh Na Nay” or plays his tambourine. The market’s handbook also describes limits for the type of music vendors can play in their booths. No one from the French Market Corporation returned calls for this story.įor instance, even though most of his customers are out-of-towners who want to bring home a piece of the city’s culture, Sandifer cannot print the words “New Orleans” on any of his wares – that’s only allowed for vendors who are approved in the “souvenir” category. And at first blush, the French Market’s vendor rules seemed arbitrary to him – and nobody around him could explain them to him, he said. He has made a suit for 28 straight years, first with the Red, White and Blue tribe, then with Creole Wild West before he started his own tribe, the Creole Apache.īut at the market, Sandifer is a newbie, who is still learning the rules of being a vendor.

He’s currently creating his 29th beaded-and-plumed suit, which he will debut on Mardi Gras morning. In his off-hours, Sandifer has been keeping his sewing needle busy. Walter Sandifer sports his French Market District vendor badge on his colorful Mardi Gras Indian costume.

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