IDNO

P.62655.ELT

Description

Dang-ki (tang-ki, spirit medium) performance dedicated to Ch'i-t'ien Ta-sheng (齊天大聖, qi tian da sheng, 'Great Saint Equal with Heaven' (commonly transcribed as the 'Monkey God'), on Keng Cheow Street, Singapore. [Elliott's listing]

One medium, a middle-aged man, stands on tiptoes in the middle of the street, looking downwards. In his left hand are flags, and in his right hand an object, possibly a sword. On the right a second, younger medium wears trousers and a siu-to (stomacher, apron). He holds a flag in his left hand and his head inclined to the right.

On the left, two male assistants reach towards baskets filled with printed papers. [EB 04/12/2018]

Place

SE Asia; Singapore; Keng Cheow Street; Shun Tian Miao

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

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

The batch of prints, P.62833.ELT to P.62887.ELT, were found in a plastic filing folder now numbered C474/5/. This folder came from the cardboard box now numbered C474/.
See archive reference for more details regarding their dates and history.

P.62590.ELT to P.62697.ELT are described by Elliott as “Cults other than those treated in Chapter IV, mainly Chapter V.”

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 "Dang-ki (tang-ki, spirit medium) performance dedicated to 齊天大聖 (Ch'i-t'ien Ta-sheng or qi tian da sheng, 'Great Saint Equal with Heaven' (commonly transcribed as the 'Monkey God'), on Keng Cheow Street, Singapore. MAA P.62655.ELT." [source: https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/story/chinese-spirit-medium-possession-singapore/, JD 12/02/2025]