Mardi Gras Indians: The Beginning of a Tradition

In class on Thursday, when we were discussing on how African slaves would escape from their masters it reminded me of this article I read which explains why African Americans dressed up as Natives Americans. The article explains that since New Orleans was mostly marshes and swamps it made it easier for slaves to escape and that when the slaved escaped they would usually end up in a Native's tribes outside the city. The Natives would usually give the slaves shelter and food so to honor those who helped them in their time of need some African Americans dress up like the Natives to celebrate and give thanks to those who helped them.