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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners' Riding Tradition (videos & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised; April 11, 2021

This pancocojams post showcases a few examples of Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA) Shriners' riding. Selected comments from one of these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who have been and are now associated with Prince Hall Shriners. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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DISCLAIMER:
I have no affiliation or direct or indirect contact with any member of the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. (Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners) or any other Shriner or Masonic organization.

As indicated above, this information is posted for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

Additions and corrections to this information are very welcome.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE: April 11, 2021
I first published a post about the Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners tradition of riding in 2012 on this pancocojams blog and have published several more posts about Prince Hall Masons on this blog and on my Zumulayah blog.

As a result of watching some YouTube videos and reading their comment threads, I've recently learned that there are other predominately Black Shriner organizations besides Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners. I also recently learned that although the performance dance/strolling movement called "riding" is considered a PHA Shriner tradition, some members of those mostly Black non-PHA Shriner organizations may also perform "riding" steps/dances. According to comments that I have read in those videos' discussion threads, those performances are done differently than PHA Shriners and, unlike the PHA Shriner tradition, sometimes those performances include women.

Because my intention was and still is to document the Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners' tradition of riding, I've deleted the above mentioned Zumulayah post because it showcased some videos of riding performances by non-Prince Hall affiliated organizations.

Based on several comments that were posted to the discussion thread for that Zumulayah post, I have deleted two of the videos that were originally included in that Zumulayah post and also in this post.  I have also added one of the comments from that Zumulayah blog post to this post's discussion thread. That comment refers to historically Black Greek letter fraterntities.  

I apologize for any confusion that may have occurred as a result of previous versions of those posts.

Please alert me to any corrections that need to be made with the content of this post. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/videos-of-camel-walk-dance-shriners.html for the r 2012 pancocojams post entitled "The Camel Walk" Dance & Shriners "Riding" Camel Walk Strut". That post includes descriptions of the camel walk dance, three videos of different styles of the camel walk dance, as well as two videos of Shriners who I believe are Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners. [Corrections are welcome.]

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRINCE HALL SHRINERS
The formal name for the Prince Hall Shriners is the "Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.) This Black fraternal organization is called "Prince Hall Shriners" ("PHA") in part to distinguish them from "mainstream" Shriners who are predominately White.

Prince Hall (1735 – 1807) was an African American noted as a tireless abolitionist, for his leadership in the free black community in Boston, and as the founder of Prince Hall Masonry (in 1775). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hall)

The Prince Hall Shriners were founded in 1893.

PHA Shriners are referred to as "Nobles". Their leader is called a "potentate" and their meeting place is referred to as a temple. The city where the temple is located is called an "oasis" and the state where it is located is called a "desert"; for instance -from example #6 given below - "Kuwat Temple #7 Oasis of Grambling Desert of Louisiana".

"The Camel Walk" has been at least informally adopted as a signature group march of the Prince Hall Shriners. That fraternal organization's adoption of the "Camel Walk" for their processionals is likely because the camel is connected with the Shriners' (both "mainstream and PHA). As part of their Middle Eastern theme, the members of the Prince Hall Shriners are called "Nobles" & they are known for wearing tasseled fezzes. The Prince Hall Shriners' chapters are called "temples" & the terms "oasis" is used for the city and "desert" is used for the state that a specific temple (for instance, Arabia Temple #12, Black Stone Disciples, Oasis of Portsmouth Desert Of Virginia.)

The Prince Hall Shriners’ performance of the Camel Walk dance is called "riding". A version of the 1983 song "White Horse" by Jim Stahl and John Guldberg of the Danish duo Laid Back appears to be the (at least unofficial) anthem of the Prince Hall Shriners' riding. I believe that "White Horse" is used as the go-to record for the PHA Shriners' anthem for the processional strutting/dancing performance that they call "riding" because of the word "ride" in that song's lyrics and because of the song's very danceable beat and not because of the meaning of the term "white horse" (cocaine) in that record.

Click http://www.aeaonms.org/about.htm and http://www.sinai59.org/DomainHistory.htm for information about the PHA Shriners.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwATF5dnfq4 for a sound file of the 1983 record "White Horse".

-snip-
Added September 4, 2019- To clarify, the performance dance/stroll called "riding" isn't a tradition among international Shriners (A.A.O.N.M.S, the mainstream Shriner organization whose charitable focus is Shriner hospitals*). That said, I watched at least one YouTube video which showed Black members of A.A.O.N.M.S. performed a dance that they called "riding", although a number of Prince Hall Shriners wrote that that organization 1. shouldn't do a Prince Hall Affiliated Shriner tradition and 2. did it wrong. Read some of those comments in the comment section below.

*I've read that the Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners' main charity is American Diabetes Foundation.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in chronological order based on the date of their YouTube posting, with the oldest dated videos posted first.) Selected comments from a few of these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

Warning: The "Ride The White Horse" record that appears to be routinely used for the Shriners' "riding" custom contains the repeated word "b**tch". Although this blog usually doesn't feature any videos that contains profanity, I'm including these videos in the interest of documenting a few video examples the Prince Hall Shriners (PHA) tradition of "riding".

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Example #1: Camel Walking Nobles of Kindah Temple #62



miked1906, Published on Jun 16, 2010

Camel Walking Nobles

NC AEAONMS 2010 Gala Day Charlotte NC
Kindah Temple #62

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Example #2: Ahmed Temple #37



Princess314, Published on Oct 10, 2010

Riding Clyde...PLEASE NOTE, if you don't like it, and don't agree, then don't watch it and take your negative comments with you.
********People didn't know how to read and/or follow directions so I removed the comment section. God Bless!************

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Example #3: Golconda Temple No. 24 Nobles camel walking into the formal dinner dance



Uploaded by bks2295 on Mar 7, 2011

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Example #4: NOBLES

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MrMyPushUps, Uploaded on Mar 18, 2011

ARABIA TEMPLE#12
BLACK STONE DISCIPLES
OASIS OF PORTSMOUTH DESERT OF VA
Party At The Shriners
Deep South Shriners-PHA (A.E.A.O.N.M.S)
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. rwshelby, 2009
"I see you Nasty Nobles........Ryde Owt Nasty Nobles"
=snip-
In African American Vernacular English, "nasty" is sometimes a highly complimentary adjective, somewhat similar to "sick", although I believe that "nasty" with regards to PHA Shriner nobles (and to members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity who are sometimes called "nasty Nupes") also retains some complimentary sexual provocative connotations.

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2. NOBLEGREEN54, 2009
"Now That's how NOBLES ride!!!"

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3. mike08832, 2009
"Ride it out NOBLES!!!! LMBO"

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4. Golconda #24 Newark, NJ
Nawlinsfanforlife, 2011
"Nothing like Nobles making their presence felt!
Oro Temple #9 El Paso, Texas"

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5. Bradley Warren-EL, 2011
"Ryde Clyde!!!! Looking good nobles!!! Who Ya Wit!!!1 MOOOOOOLLLLLLAAAAAHHHHHH Memphis, TN"
-snip-
"Ryde"= ride; PHA Shriners' riding is also referred to as "riding Clyde".

[added September 9, 2019]
My guess is that the term "riding Clyde" (to refer to the Prince Hall Masons' dance/stroll movement art known as "riding" originated as a rhyming phrase [i.e. "ride/"Clyde"]

Although it may not be related, another rhyming phrase that contains the male name "Clyde" is "More strut in your step, more glide in your stride, clyde!". That saying was popularized by the highly influential New York City radio DJ Frankie Crocker. [Crocker] "worked for WBLS-FM as program director, taking that station to the top of the ratings during the late 1970s and pioneering the radio format now known as urban contemporary. He sometimes called himself the "Chief Rocker", and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance.[3]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Crocker

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/legendary-black-radio-dj-frankie.html for information about Frankie Crocker and more examples of that legendary DJ's "jive talk".

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6. Edward Jones, 2011
"Get it Nobles. Greetings from the Dessert of Texas, Oasis of San Antonio"

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7. Renoaldo Spells, 2012
"Wats up bro this is Wildhog #16 your line bro Take me to Mecca!!!!!!!!"

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8. bigrider2806, 2012
"as an English Freemason with no knowledge relating to any of this i would be so grateful if someone would explain a little for me ."

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REPLY
9. T James, 2012
"@bigrider2806 Its just some thing that Prince Hall Shriners do, like part of the culture in the group"

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REPLY
10. FET Engineer
"bigrider2806 it's called "fun" and "fellowship"... enjoying themselves our way and there's nothing wrong with that. "
-snip-
I've read a few other comments that allude to the esoteric meaning of PHA Shriner riding beyond its entertainment and socializing purposes. To summarize one comment that I read on another YouTube discussion thread, PHA Shriners' riding symbolizes the three wise men (who were nobles) visiting and honoring the new born baby Jesus.

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11. Klark Kent, 2013
"Gitty clyde up!"
-snip-
Gitty" is a form of the phrase "Giddy up"- a command for a horse to move forward.

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12. Ronald Hargrove, 2015
"@SSGT Flavor Princehall is King, the noble are just riding. If it want for masonry it want be no franternities"
-snip-
I can't find the comment from SGT Flavor, but I presume from the response that that comment questioned the similarities between riding and fraternity strolling or stepping.

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Example #5: Nobles Camel Walk



LB9139, Published on Oct 2, 2013

Kuwat Temple #7 Oasis of Grambling Desert of Louisiana

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Visitor comments are welcome.

4 comments:

  1. For comparison purposes, here's a link for a video of a non-PHA Shriner organization riding:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDNLbZmLINo Chicago Camel Walk 2010;
    palestinenoble1
    Published on Oct 5, 2010
    Chicago-Palestine #1 A.A.O.N.M.S. First Gala Walk in 26yrs...Bringing it back home.
    -snip-
    "A.A.O.N.M.S" = Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine ; This is the official name for the international Shriners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriners

    The official name for Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA) Shriners is Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine (A.E.A.O.N.M.S)

    Read that video's comment section of that video for examples of comments that indicate differences between the way riding is performed in that video and the way that PHA Shriners ride.

    Some of the comments in that video's discussion thread reflect the disdain and opposition that PHA Shriners feel for non-PHA Shriners performing riding.

    Here are some examples of those comments (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
    1.CAPMAN1985, 2015
    "This is not the craft. This is a clandestine grand lodge system"

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    2. Dorrien Bell, 2016
    "Lmao at the fake "nobles". Terrible!"

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    3. KrazyK823, 2013
    "These dudes can't be Prince Hall.........great try though lol PHA the only way!"

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    REPLY
    4. Toni Williams, 2018
    "KrazyK823 not with those women riding smh

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    REPLY
    5. Marie Bowden-Lockhart, 2018
    "Clandestine Nobles and Daughters. Real Daughters don’t ride the white horse..."

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    REPLY
    6. Damion Trice, 2018
    "KrazyK823 I agree all the way and they aren’t even dressed out like they are suppose to.....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As is the case with many discussion threads about Masons and Shriners, a number of comments in that above mentioned discussion
      thread are critical of Masons (and Shriners) because the commenter considers those organizations to be Satanic.

      Delete
    2. This comment was submitted to the discussion thread of the now deleted Zumulayah blog post of the same name

      JamesMay 21, 2017 at 7:59 AM
      Hi, the assertion that Black Greek lettered fraternities are modeled after the Prince Hall Shriners is incorrect. Black Greek lettered fraternities are modeled off White Greek lettered fraternities. Prince Hall Shriners are modeled are modeled off the mainstream White Shriner order. The various nuances that make each group different from their white counterparts is what your blog celebrates, the beautiful adaptation and grafting of African culture into what is a uniquely African American Experience!
      James W.
      Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
      Freemason and Shriner, Prince Hall Affiliated

      Delete
    3. Thank you, James for your comment.

      I appreciate what you wrote and regret any mistakes I made or have still made in this post on Prince Hall masons.

      Best wishes!

      Delete