The Apatani people, residing in India's Ziro Valley, are known for a unique custom: facial modifications on women. This ancient tradition, involving tattoos and distinctive nose plugs, was historically adopted to deter kidnappers from neighboring tribes. However, this practice is nearing its end, with fewer than 500 elderly women in the valley still bearing the marks of this disappearing heritage.
Ziro Valley, a sacred land nestled at an altitude of 2,438 m in the heart of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, is surrounded by winding pine-covered mountains and lush rice fields. It has been the long-standing home of the Apatani tribe, where this tradition once flourished.
Apatani women feature black facial tattoos and two large wooden plugs inserted into their nostrils. The wooden plugs, sourced from the forest, are sterilized over fire before being worn. The vertical tattoos, known as "tippei", are created using a mixture of pig fat and kitchen soot.
According to local folklore, Apatani women were once considered the most beautiful in the valley during pre-modern times. Due to frequent kidnappings by surrounding tribes, Apatani men decided to conceal their women's beauty with tattoos and nose plugs, a practice that began when girls were around 10 years old.
The tradition began to fade after 1975 when the Indian government banned nose piercing due to health concerns. Consequently, younger generations of Apatani now have intact faces, without wooden plugs or tattoos. This custom is expected to disappear permanently with the passing of the current elderly generation.
American vlogger Drew Binsky traveled through the rice fields to visit the Apatani women. He was greeted by elderly women on their porches, each bearing the characteristic round wooden plugs in their nostrils and distinct dark tattoos.
In one home housing 35 residents, Binsky met an elderly woman, approximately 100 years old. Like others of her generation, she could not recall her exact age, only that the nose plugs had been a part of her life for nearly its entirety.
"I want to record their story to preserve a cultural heritage that is coming to an end," Drew stated.
Minh Trang (According to Drew Binsky, Remote Lands)
