The Red Flame Hunters Youth Mardi Gras Indian Tribe originated in 2009 as the individual effort of Executive Director Ed Buckner, with a simple aim – to give neighborhood kids something to do after school and get them off the streets. Since 2009, their tribe has masked every year with new and returning youth tribe members. What started as just an after-school activity has evolved into an organization of cultural preservation. Their mission is the education, promotion, and preservation of the traditions found in historically black neighborhoods of New Orleans. Their tribe teaches traditions of the Mardi Gras Indian and Secondline Club Culture to local youth who promote the culture through performances and parades with the larger New Orleans community.