<
https://theconversation.com/how-phar-laps-skin-bones-and-heart-became-holy-relics-in-colonial-australia-and-new-zealand-216530>
"When the legendary Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup in 1930, the big chestnut
horse didn’t just live up to his Thai name, which means “lightning”. He also
brought together strands of colonial history and mythology that are only now
properly visible.
Much worshipped in life and in death, Phar Lap has occupied a unique place in
the story of Australia’s and New Zealand’s evolving national identities. The
posthumous division and distribution of his corpse into “relics” – mounted
hide, skeleton and heart – represented a form of what I call “new world
worship”.
Old world religions were an important part of colonisation. But the early
settler experience also saw the appearance of quasi-religious icons and
symbols, one of which was the horse. Vital for settling, farming and policing
the new land, they became more than mere beasts of burden.
Successful colonisation involved the breeding of introduced species – plants
and animals, but also people. Physical strength, egalitarianism, battling
against the odds and “mateship” were characteristics of the new colonial
societies on both sides of the Tasman. For a while, Phar Lap embodied them
all."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
