The Imperial Court Daughters, is an auxiliary of female family members of Prince Hall Shriners and was formally organized at the annual session of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Noble Mystic Shrine (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.) held in Detroit, Michigan on the 24th of August, 1910. The establishment of the Imperial Court was the result of a meeting held in 1909, when women representing the Daughters from Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington, DC met with a committee of Prince Hall Shriners and requested the formation and recognition of an organization for women. There were groups of women from several cities where Shrine Temples were located that had formed auxiliaries for the female relatives of the male members but nothing had been done to formally organize them until the meeting in Detroit. The purpose of the Imperial Court Daughters, is to unite the relatives of all members of A.E.A.O.N.M.S. into one common bond of friendship, to practice charity and benevolence, and to inculcate honor and integrity, as symbolized in the legend of the Egyptian Queen, the Goddess Isis. Like its parent organization, the Imperial Court is a benevolent and charitable organization. This organization of 12 Courts at its inception, can now boast of more than 200 Courts, with a growing membership of more than 12,000 members in the continental United States, Europe, Canada, Bahamas, and Okinawa.
Was this organization named after the Egyptian Queen/Goddess Isis?
Indeed it was. Isis was the goddess of fertility and motherhood. She represents so many of our female characteristics such as birth, determination, intuition, nurturing, compassion, love, as well as resourcefulness. We as Daughters strive to emulate these traits in all that we do. Her husband, Osiris was murdered by his brother, Set, and his remains were thrown into the River Nile. When she heard of her husband’s assassination, she searched the Nile night and day to find his body. Once she did, she hid his body inside of a tree. Set found his brother’s body and cut it up into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt. Isis hunted for the remains of her husband again and found all but 1 piece of Osiris’ body-which was swallowed by a fish. Isis and Osiris had a son, Horus, who grew up and avenged his father’s death. He defeated his uncle, Set, thus uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.
What do the Daughters do?
We do our best to be active in our communities by hosting or participating in community events. Some Courts have drill teams, color guards, some may sponsor Little League Teams. One of the biggest events that most Courts have is the Commandress Ball.
