IDNO

N.54185.ELT

Description

Festival at a Chinese temple in Jalan Kebaya, Singapore, dedicated to the Lord of Black Heaven (xuan tian shang di), Third Prince (Nezha, The Third Prince, san tai zi), and the Great Saint (da shen). [description in Elliott 1955: pp. 127-128]

Inside the temple, the spirit-medium, a boy, leans forward dripping blood from his tongue onto a charm paper (fu) held by an assistant. More papers lie on the offering table in front of him. In the foreground is an older woman wearing a white blouse and sash over her left shoulder. A group of onlookers are in the background. [EB 03/08/2022]

Place

SE Asia; Singapore; Jalan Kebaya

Cultural Affliation

Chinese

Named Person

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Elliott, Alan J.A.

Date

1950 - 1951

Collection Name

Elliott Collection

Source

Elliott, Alan J. A.

Format

Film Negative Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

N.54088.ELT to N.54191.ELT were found inside the album now numbered A.156.ELT.

The index pages of the negative album provide descriptions of some of the images. These have been transcribed.

Bibliographical Reference: Chinese Spirit-Medium Cults in Singapore. Alan J. A. Elliott. (Monographs on Social Anthropology, No. 14.) London: London School of Economics and Political Science, 1955. pp. 127-128 Described in text as "the growing cult", dedicated to three major deities: Lord of Black Heaven (xuan tian shang di), Third Prince (Nezha, The Third Prince, san tai zi), and the Great Saint (da shen).

Publication: Image published in a Digital Lab Online Exhibition by Gemma Ovens, 2024. 'Chinese Spirit-Medium Possession: Exploring Ritual and Religion in the Photographic Archives of Alan J. A. Elliott' and captioned "A tang-ki dropping his blood on charm papers for his devotees. MAA N.54185.ELT." [source: https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/story/chinese-spirit-medium-possession-singapore/, JD 12/02/2025]