Let us save Tanii / Apatani Culture : Research on Apatani Tattooing

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Research on Apatani Tattooing

Next time when you are asked for the reason behind Apatani women's tattooing and nose-plugs..... tell them about existence of mythological beliefs on this practice. We have well written article on the same by our own eminent scholar Prof PURA TADO.
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Let us save Tanii/Apatani Culture and Tradition's photo.

"Indeed we don't have written history on Tattooing by our forefathers. Now, we do have many well researched articles on this regard by our local scholars."

"Photo courtesy: Tasso Radhe Yampi

and Write up provided by Gyati Rana

SIGNIFICANCE OF TATTOO AMONG THE APATANIIS
(TIIPE PAKO NIING)
By Prof Pura Tado, Dept of Pol.Science Arunahal University, Now Rajiv Gandhi University.

The practice of tattooing among Taniis is as old as their existence. However, there have been no proper answers known to most of us as to why this practice of tattoing has been accepted for the ages.
Apa Tanii male decorate their face with a tattoo on the middle o of their chin in the shape of an English Alphabet “T”. Also they perforate their ear lobes and big pieces of hollowed bamboo called (Yaru Hukho) Ear Plug are worn to attach ear rings. Apa Tanii female tattoos themselves from their forehead to tip of the nose. They also tattoo their chin with five vertical lines and at the top near lower lip a horizontal bar joins all the five lines of vertical vertical tattoo of the chin. The facial decoration facial decoration of the woman would not be complete without two big nose plugh on either side of the nose known as Yaping Hulo. These Yaping Hulo are made of pieces of whole Cane, which are available in the jungle. For these Yaping Hulo a piece of dry Cane is cut.Both the ends of the Cane are smoothening by burning the ends and rubbing it against and hard and smooth surface so that they are smooth and even. These processes also ensure the sterility of the material so that it does not cause any injury to the nose and became septic later.
Facial decorations of Apa Tanii females is complete with perforation of her ears and later on putting hollow bamboo pieces called Yaru Hukho, which is used for putting on ear rings. Above the ear holes two to three perforations are made on each Ear a smaller size of Yaru Hukho are used. These smaller perforations are known as Ruting and used for wearing Ruting Yarangs. Ruting Yarang is made of flat Brass rings. The diameter of Ruting Yarang is about three to four inches. Usually they wear two to three Ruting Yarang on each ears.
Dark and prominent tattoo, big Yaping Hulo and Yaru Hukho with ear rings and large Ruting Yarang were done for enhancing the beauty of an Apa Tanii Lady. Likewise big, deep and prominent tattoo on the chin with a good piiding ( Knot of hair on forehead) went to enhance the handsomeness of a Apa Tanii youth. Therefore there was competition amongst young girls of Apa Tanii to have a prominent Tiipe, big Yaping Hulo, big Yaru Hukho with ear ring and ruting Yarang. Youth competed among themselves for prominent tiipe, big Yaru hukho with ear rings and good Piiding.
Tattooing is done by perforating the skin with the help of a tightly tied bunch of torn known as , “Lobyo Tiire” in Apa Tanii. When Blood oozes out of the perforated skin, a solution made by mixing black soot from pots with water of boiled rice is applied (Chinyu and Pila ala). Perforation goes on for some time and solution is applied. After sometime the solution dries. In the evening worm oil from pig tallow (hulyi) is applied slowly on the tattoo. This application of pig tallow goes on for few days. When perforation heals their appears the tattoo. This tattooing is done by the ladies only.
These facial decoarationby tattoing looked fantastic when confined to the Apa Taniis themselves. However, along with the opening up of road communications and setting up of modern aministrations in the land of Apatanii –Ziro- no longer it remained isolated like earlier times. Moreover, market economy, which came with setting up of administration, forced people to move out of ttheir traditional dwelling place. This change made th Apa Taniis realose that hteir styles of facial decoration are unique and incongruousnwith the majority of other people. This realisation was made cuter due to the fact that the population of Apa Tanii was very small and con fined only to a small area.
When new comer to the land of Apa Tanii ask, why the Apatanii, especially the ladies tattoo their faces thereby spoiling their beauty. The standard answer heard was the faces of Apa Tanii especially were tattoo in order to spoil their beauty so that males of other neighbouring communities may not take them away. However, this answer is not correct. The correct answer lies in the following mythological story.
Once upon a time there was a very beautiful lady called Ami Niidon Biinyi. She was very beautiful and was expert in all trades which a lady was expected to know. She was waiting for someone to purpose her for marriage. Unfortunately for her, time passed by and no one came forward to purpose her. She was growing older day by day yet no one was ready to marry her. Along with her growing age she would lose her capacity to be a mother. This thought made her sleepless and made her older.
She could not bear her predicament anymore and one day decided to ask God to solve her problem. Accordingly she asked God to tell her ways by which she could regain her lost youth and beautiful once again so she could attract somebody to marry her. “In order to regain your youth and beauty and capacity to be mother, you must tattoo your face and to have lot of poultry and cattle to support you, you must wear Nose plugs (Yaping hulo), Ear plug (Yaru Hukho) and rutting yarang(Large flat brass ring)” God told and advice her.
As per direction of the God, Ami Niido Biinyi tattoed her face, put on nose plugs wore Ruting Yarang, Lo!! And behold she became very young again and very beautiful to look at. Her beuty attracted Miido Jindo Tajing towards her and he proposed to marry Ami niido Biinyi. She accepted the marriage proposal of jindo Tazing and they married and lived happily ever. Their marriage results in birth of Khalos. They also had lot of poultry and cattle. The Birds and animals in the jungle were their poultry and cattle.
When Pinsang Gyut, one among the Khalos, was born he saw some design on the pine Tree. He wanted these design to be with him and copied it from Pine Tree. Thus Apa Taniis copied tattooing from Pinsang Gyut. Thus Apa Tanii copied Tattoing from Pinsang Gyut and the tattooing became part of Apa Tanii culture.
However,the culture of tattooing themselves among Apa Taniis have been given up completely since last twenty five years to twenty years back. Along with its culture wearing ear, nose plug and Ruting Yarang has also disappeared.
From the above mythological story we find that tattooing was adopted by Ami Niido Biinyi in order to restore her youth, beauty and fertility. As a result of tattooing herself she regained her beauty, youth and become mother of all the khalos. Khalos are clans inhabiting various areas in the Earth. The Apa Taniis being small in number compared to other communities surrounding them even to-day must have been very less in number in ancient time. Their strong urge to increase their population for self preservation must have made them copy the tattooing of Ami Niido Biinyi to be fertile fecund as her.
In Order to support the increased population and their needs, one needs more livestock’s indeed. T achieves this goal wearing of big nose plug s and Ruting Yarang was encouraged amongst the ladies of Apa Taniis. And it is logical, household economy in Apa Tanii communication is managed by the ladies.
The designs of the tattoos have been copied by the Pinsang Gyute from Pine tree. Pine Tree are plenty in the Tanii Land – Ziro. Indeed, there are designs to be found in a pine Tree both externally as well as internally. Moreover, in Festivals related to fertility and prosperity like Murung, Subu and Myoko, Pine wood alone is used in ritual even to-day.
Thus, this mythological story throws light on some aspects of the Apa Tanii culture and life. It also leads us to some aspect of Apa Tanii history and ambience surrounding it in ancient time. In short, the Apa Tanii used tattoos, ear and nose plugs and Ruting Yarang to buttress their psychological needs to face the inhospitable environments surrounding them in early days. And indeed, it has done well in overcoming adverse environment and survives till date.
Note: This article is based on an interview the author had with Sri takhe Piilo, a priest from Ha-ngu on 11th May 1998. The inferences are that of authors"

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