The Black masking tradition is much more than a “special day” activity – it is a personal, spiritual, and community activity that defines its adherents. For an excellent perspective on the tradition, see the book Mardi Gras Indians by Nikesha Willams where she writes: “Inside a suit of beads and feathers these men and women are Black and free, pretty and proud, and, most importantly, returned unto themselves; they are bridging the gap of erasure that was lost at every door of no return and on the many routes of the trail of tears.”