Mardi Gras is around the corner, and Louisiana is getting up and ready for Fat Tuesday. During this time the New Orleans streets come to life.The streets are full of culture and color. Tradition is key to New Orleans, and there’s one very important one.

The Mardi Gras Indians are a huge aspect to New Orleans especially during Mardi Gras. This tradition has been going on for decades and has deeply rooted history.

Their history is rooted in the initial connections between Native and Black communities, largely driven by the struggle against slavery and racism.

These krewes consist of more than forty tribes, all of whom put in effort to craft the costumes they wear during carnival season. Throughout these suits, it’s constructed with all different materials, some of which include ribbons, feathers, and beads.

If you take a closer look at the suits, you'll notice patterns that tell stories from the past. The Mardi Gras Indians put in a lot of time and effort into making these suits.

“It brings different tribes from all over the city together and the purpose of that is in order to preserve the Mardi Gras Indian culture, it takes all different tubes and chiefs to come together,” Micheal Farley, Assistant Director of Mardi Gras Indian Council said.

It’s important for them to preserve the culture because it is one of the last deeply rooted African American cultures, especially in New Orleans.

Even outside of Mardi Gras, they host many events, one upcoming event will be Super Sunday, March 14th through the 16th.

“We have a festival that comes up on March sixteenth, it's called Super Sunday Festival. During that time, it's more of where the council invites tribes from all over the city and it’s more of a fun time. It’s a time for them to share with the community,” Farley said.