Why some Black Masking Indians are copyrighting their suits

Christopher Leach
·2 min read

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Eric Burt is the Trail and Drum Chief of the Monogram Hunters Indian Tribe in New Orleans. Burt is also a member of a tribe called Gumbolia, which is a collection of Indians from across New Orleans, who make music. Their Nation of Gumbolia album was also nominated for a Grammy.

Burt explains the cost of sewing an Indian suit saying, “The average suit at minimum costs $5,000. We put the suits on, and a photographer takes a picture, and he gets all the money.”

Burt wants to make sure culture bearers are compensated for the priceless contributions they add to New Orleans.

A history of New Orleans Black Masking Indians

With a keen eye and an early rise, some very lucky people can find the coveted sight of a masking Indian tribe on Mardi Gras morning. Every year, visitors and locals have their cameras ready to take pictures of Black Masking Indians.

Mardi Gras brings in close to a billion dollars on average each year, but little of that money is given to the culture bearers that make Mardi Gras world renown.

Burt believes one of the answers is to copyright Indian suits.

“I explain to other Indians how to do it. We can file our suit with an application to the Library of Congress under the category of sculptured art. We file up to five suits at a time. When you copyright your suit, it is no longer public domain. If a photographer takes a picture and doesn’t pay the Indian, they have a right to sue that photographer, if that image is published,” explains Burt.

Burt wants all culture bearers of New Orleans to take ownership and get the money they deserve. For Burt and others, copyrighting suits is about securing the funding of one of the most visual hallmarks of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras so it can continue.

“I’m talking to the younger generations of Indians. I’m sitting down and talking to them. I’m helping them to the game on how they can protect themselves. If they don’t have the copyright for their suits, they can also close up their feathers to photographers, explains Burt.

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