Where women have to embarrass themselves to protect themselves
In 2014, the Apatani Cultural Landscape was on the list of nominees for a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are a large group of people in the Eastern Himalayas and are known for their rich identity or sophistication with their bamboo and rattan designs, as well as many characteristic festivals.
To this day, the Apatani people still proudly maintain their identity, although slightly changed to better suit the times.
About the Apatani . tribe
The Apatani tribe, also known as the Tanw or Tanii, is an ethnic group of Sino-Tibetan origin residing in the Ziro valley in India and southern Tibet. They can speak their own language, Hindi or even English,
They are also religiously diverse, with some following Catholicism, Shamanism or local worship. Apatani people believe in god Abotani – the founder of the tribe, and will sacrifice livestock and poultry for peace, or to ask for forgiveness when something bad happens.
Traditional festivals
The Apatani people are famous for their elaborate festivals, especially Myoko – held in honor of friendship and prosperity, taking place between 3 communities: Hari Bulla, Diibo-Hija and Hong. During the Myoko festival, women will pour rice beer with flour on pigs while saying prayers and sacred incantations. Then the owners of the pigs offered them as sacrifices. The festival is usually held in March, lasting for a full moon.
They also have the Dree agricultural festival to offer prayers to the 4 gods; Metii, Tamu, Danyi and Harniang. Dree usually takes place in July, lasts about 3 days. During those 3 days, they will focus on worshiping to pray for a good and lucky crop.
The custom of “making yourself ugly”
Apatani men often keep their hair long and tied at the forehead. They wear a ring woven from rattan named Tarin, made of a special plant – Taer yasso. This jewelry is also inseparable from the shaman.
Contrary to most parts of the world, Apatani women have to make themselves ugly. According to legend, because they are so beautiful, they are often kidnapped by neighboring tribes.
An elderly woman of the Apatani tribe.
To solve that problem, the village elders have come up with a unique way. They decided to “subvert” the girls in the tribe by wearing nose plugs and black tattoos on their faces. This ritual is usually performed on the first menstrual period of every young woman.
Initially, this measure was used to protect them from men of other tribes. However, over time it became a cultural tradition that the Apatani persisted in preserving, until the practice was banned by the government in the 70s of the last century.
Today, only elderly women can be seen with their noses covered and tattooed, but they preserve their cultural heritage and beliefs through word of mouth as well as preserving ancient festivals.
With a population of about 40,000 and one of the largest ethnic groups in the Eastern Himalayas, the Apatani are skilled in farming and hunting. They also possess a special agricultural system, being able to be self-sufficient without livestock or machinery, along with excellent ecological protection.
Source: HOY
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