It's Official....The Zulu Parade will hit
the streets this Carnival Season 2006!!!
Early
in 1909, a group of laborers who had organized
a club named "The Tramps," went
to the Pythian Theater to see a musical comedy
performed by the Smart Set. The comedy included
a skit entitled, "There Never Was and
Never Will Be a King Like Me," about
the Zulu Tribe...
The earliest signs of organization came
from the fact that the majority of these
men belonged to a Benevolent Aid Society.
Benevolent Societies were the first forms
of insurance in the Black community where,
for a small amount of dues, members received
financial help when sick or financial aid
when burying deceased members.
Conversations and interviews with older
members also indicate that in that era the
city was divided into wards, and each ward
had its own group or "Club." The
Tramps were one such group. After seeing
the skit, they retired to their meeting
place (a room in the rear of a restaurant/bar
in the 1100 block of Perdido Street), and
emerged as Zulus. This group was probably
made up of members from the Tramps, the
Benevolent Aid Society and other ward-based
groups.
While the "Group" marched in
Mardi Gras as early as 1901, their first
appearance as Zulus came in 1909, with William
Story as King.
The group wore raggedy pants, and had
a Jubilee-singing quartet in front of and
behind King Story. His costume of "lard
can" crown and "banana stalk"
scepter has been well documented. The Kings
following William Story, (William Crawford
- 1910, Peter Williams - 1912, and Henry
Harris - 1914), were similarly attired.
1915 heralded the first use of floats,
constructed on a spring wagon, using dry
good boxes. The float was decorated with
palmetto leaves and moss and carried four
Dukes along with the King. That humble beginning
gave rise to the lavish floats we see in
the Zulu parade today.
On September 20, 1916, in the notorial
office of Gabriel Fernandez, the Zulu Social
Aid and Pleasure Club was incorporated.
Twenty-two of the organization's officers
and members signed the first official document.
The Geddes and Moss Funeral Home, located
on Washington Avenue, played an integral
part in Zulu's beginning, and has continued
to do so throughout the years. The first
official toast of King Zulu and his Queen
is held at this establishment each year.
