woman tang ki

not all tang-kis are men; in fact, there used to be a number of women tang-kis in singapore who operated from their own homes. today, i am not sure where you can find one but in the past i had the opportunity to watch one at work.

the woman tang-ki was usually a middle-aged or an elderly woman. this particular one, who was in her fifties, had a quiet, calm and friendly demeanour. she talked softly and slowly. unlike the man medium, when she got into the trance stage, the transition was not very obvious. there was no frothing at the mouth or any violent movements at all. also, with women tang-kis, there was no music: no drum or gong was used.

she did not don any elaborate costume at all; she would just wear a dark robe over her everyday wear. when she in communication with the spirit, she would turn to her assistant who would then let her know the request of the client. usually it was to find out about one's fortune or to arrange prayers for someone who was unwell or to get a good luck charm for some loved ones.

payment was usually in the form of a small ang pau, a token sum to help defray the cost of the prayer items. the chinese hokkien has a term for it: thiam you.

in some countries, like taiwan (picture above), some women mediums work within the confines of a temple.