In their travels to the indigo dye pits of northern Nigeria, the authors were struck by the beauty, history, and chemistry of indigo dyeing. They returned from Nigeria eager to develop a laboratory exercise that would expose students to the science of indigo dyeing and the culture of West Africa. Because of the fascinating chemical properties of indigo, performing its simple synthesis with high school chemistry students was an instructive end-of-semester review of several different chemistry concepts. Students made their own tie-dye cloth and explored the traditional cultures and customs of Nigeria.