Home Artist Programs Supported Artists Efrem Z. Boles (Big Chief ZeeBo)

Efrem Z. Boles (Big Chief ZeeBo)

New Orleans, Louisiana

The person in this photograph titled The Bull, Creole Osceola 2nd Chief ZeeBo appears nearly swallowed by a pale pink feathered suit. Beadwork over the person’s face, which shows through a narrow opening, depicts a white bull’s head against a red oval. The featherwork flares widely, far beyond where the shoulders would be, and Chief ZeeBo’s arms are flung wide.

The Bull, Creole Osceola 2nd Chief ZeeBo

2023

Only the nose, bared teeth, and one hand of the person wearing a marigold-orange feathered suit are visible in this photograph titled The Fox. A fox’s face on the head piece is surrounded by patterns, and the corona of features engulf the body. The person wearing it leans to our right and holds one arm up.

The Fox

2021

Tiny beads and crystals sewn to canvas create a fox’s face surrounded by bands of sky blue, coral pink, deep yellow, and rows of pearls. Smaller pearls also make tiny rosette-like shapes in the coral-colored band.

The Fox

2021

In this photograph titled The Snake, Gang Flag ZeeBo wears a vivid blue suit made up of a head piece with a gold and red sun, a gold and blue skirt, and an oval aura of feathers around the person’s whole body, from high overhead to shin. Gang Flag ZeeBo wears textured blue pants, also perhaps feathers, and a light blue shirt under the suit. He walks with arms wide and mouth wide open.

The Snake

2013

Artworks shown are selected from works submitted by the artist in their grant or residency application. All works are copyright of the artist or artist’s estate.

About Efrem Z. Boles (Big Chief ZeeBo)

Big Chief Zee Bo Boles looks out from under a beaded head piece, which he holds with both white-gloved hands. He has dark skin and a hint of a five o’clock shadow.

Efrem Z. Boles, known as Big Chief ZeeBo, is an artist and cultural custodian. Raised in Uptown New Orleans’ Calliope Projects, ge is a proud U.S. military veteran who served in Desert Storm as a Field Artillery soldier. Today, he works with St. Bernard Drugs Pharmacy, ensuring essential medications reach nursing homes, independent living facilities, and hospice patients. Efrem began his Black Masking Indian journey in 2003 with the Creole Osceola tribe under Chief Clarence Dalcour. Rising quickly to Gang Flag, his 2010 debut suit, “The Scorpion,” was featured in HBO’s Treme, the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, and National Geographic. In 2018, he became Second Chief of Creole Osceola. In 2023, he founded and became Big Chief of Black Osceolas—built on unity, legacy, and cultural pride. As he often says, “Bury the hatchet and raise the flag.” Chief ZeeBo lives to serve his community, culture, and tribe.

Program Participation

Joan Mitchell Center Residency, 2026

Website / Social Links

“ I draw on the architecture, people, and cultural rhythms of New Orleans to create expressions of legacy, identity, and storytelling. Each suit is a visual narrative—woven with memory, mentorship, and message—contributing to the preservation and evolution of the Black Masking Indian tradition.”