On a trip to Morocco a few years ago, Carrol Boyes came across the Tuareg people, a nomadic tribe of North-West Africa. She noticed how much they prized the deep blueish purple cloth they wore and discovered that the dye, called indigo, came from the tiny leaves of small indigenous parasitic shrubs and was considered extremely valuable, even taking the place of local currencies, including the American dollar. She was so inspired by the depth of colour and the way West African women rubbed it into their hair and skin and painted their bodies with it, that the idea for Indigo Girls was born.