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It's your favorite girl @debbie-ese π
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Have you heard about the women of Apatani tribe and nose plugs?
The Apatani women, who are known for making a living from fishing and farming are settled in the Ziro Valley, in Arunachal Pradesh, in North East India where elderly women wear huge nose plugs and tattoo their faces with paints.
There is history of the girl child in so many cultures around the world having to adopt some practices to serve as a protective measure against threats from the opposite sex. This can be evident in the last two practices that I have shared in the past weeks about the Mursi women having to wear a clay pot on their lips and women from the Kayan tribe wearing brass rings on their necks to look ugly and prevent men from other tribes from taking advantage of them by enslaving them.
Credit:Davidevison
It was recorded that the Apatani women used to be very beautiful and this make them irresistible for men from other tribes who find it difficult to curb their strong desire for these gorgeous women, thereby increasing the rate of abduction, rape, slave trade and forceful marriage.
Due to the high case of abduction and forceful marriages of the beautiful girls of Apatani, the elders reached an agreement that they should make their girls look less attractive to the evildoers. They came up with the idea of putting nose plugs on the nostrils of the women and also painting their faces with tattoos.
Credit:Davidevison
The practice have become a part of the people of Apatani and they are proud of it. They see the practice of nose plugs and face tattoo as a cultural heritage and a way of identifying the Apatani women. Tourists and people from other tribes may see this tradition as sickening and disgusting but to the Apatani people, it is what they cherish and appreciate so much. Cultural practices is one of the things in the world that we can not all agree on. That is the reason the term cultural differences exists. What culture A sees as fantastic may look disgusting to culture B.
Credit:Bambam Kumar Jha
This practice was banned by the Indian Government in the 70s and some people see this as a violation of the rights of the people. The Apatani women see the practice as a cultural identity and the ban could be seen as a clash between culture and government laws. This has forced the younger generation to refrain totally from the practice because it hinders them from getting jobs. The women who are seen wearing the nose plugs and tattoos are mostly the older generations.
Thank you for your time lovelies.
The post is originally written by me π@debbie-eseπ
