Oddities in Chinese Australian Syncretism: Private home shrines

1) A statuette of 濟公 Jigong, "The Honourable Helper", a Chinese folk deity. Our Jigong is a bit more tan than other Jigong for some reason, maybe from absorbing some of Aussie sun. 😂 Otherwise, his Buddhist monk garb, the hand fan and the gourd of wine is pretty much stock standard when it comes to depictions of Jigong.

2) A creepy glow-in-the-dark Mammoth skeleton figurine from the WA Museum gift shop. Why?? Well, for me, there's 3 possible explanations for it's addition to the shrine:

- Dad bought this for me when I was 9, maybe 10. So maybe it's just a touching memento that he's kept around and displayed.

- Dad is a secret Ganesha devotee. I mean, The God of New Beginnings, Wisdom, Luck as well as the Remover of Obstacles. All things I'd imagine a refugee would find comfort in.

- It's an ancestral shrine and we're members of the ancient secret Mammoth Clan.

3) Incense holder with lit incense. Duh! It's a shrine.

4) Fish and Chips as the offering for Jigong. I'm pretty sure this is sacrilegious. 😂 Then again Jigong himself, when he was alive, was a misbehaving monk who ate meat and drank alcohol on occasion. He would probably appreciate the Fish and Chips.

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