Chief Shaka Zulu

Chief Shaka Zulu is a master of Black Masking suit design, a tradition native to New Orleans and its interwoven history of Indigenous and Black culture. The intricate suit-building of the New Orleans Black Masking carnival tradition usually involves sewing and designing for one full year, and are colorfully displayed during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. In addition to upholding the Black Masking tradition, Zulu is also a revered drummer and stilt dancer, both rooted in the city’s West African traditions. In 2022, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor for the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

A unique and historic subculture of New Orleans, Black Masking Indians and their traditions date back to the 1800s when Native Americans provided safe refuge and a sense of community for runaway slaves. Black Masking Indian culture is influenced by both ancestral enslaved Africans and the friendship forged with Native Americans. When African Americans were later banned from mainstream Mardi Gras events, they created their own celebration known as Carnival in their own neighborhoods. Delayed but not deterred, various communities of eager parade-goers took to their respective neighborhoods and began celebrating on their own.

Born in New Orleans in 1969, Zulu grew up immersed in African and Caribbean culture, taking part in his father Zohar Israel’s performing arts company, Free Spirit. He started drumming at an early age and became a master of African and African diasporic percussion instruments, such as the djunjun, djembe, shakare, and congas. Under the masterful tutelage of his father, Zulu, at the age of 15, became a skillful and accomplished second generation stilt dancer. In 1995, Zulu and his wife Naimah formed the performing arts company, Zulu Connection, and toured their company of dancers, stilt dancers, and drummers nationally and internationally.

His talent for impeccable sewing quickly led to his significant stature within the Black masking tradition. He continues the “downtown” suit-making tradition pioneered by Chief Tootie Montana, distinguished by its three-dimensional or soft-sculpture pieces with sequins, beads, turkey feathers, and a more abstract style. Zulu is now Big Chief of the Golden Feather Hunters, established in 2018.

A consummate teacher and culture bearer, Zulu has conducted workshops on masking, drumming, and stilt dancing nationally and internationally. On trips to Tanzania in 2009 and 2019, he engaged with the Masai and Meru communities about the connection between the African and New Orleans African American traditions. On his 2019 trip, Zulu beaded his 2019 suit “The Toucan” with the diligent assistance of the youth in the villages of the Masai and the Meru people. Shaka Zulu is also passing down the Black Masking and stilt dancing traditions to his daughter, Sarauniya, who continues these practices.