The Apatani Tribe: The Beauty they Chose to Hide (opens in new tab)

This project documents the Apatani women of Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, an indigenous community known for two distinct facial marks: Tippei, dark tattoo lines running from forehead to chin, and Yaping Hullo, large bamboo plugs inserted into both sides of the nostrils.These portraits uncover the history behind the markings once used as a form of protection for women and to make them appear less desirable to outsiders. Today, they remain as living traces of a fading tradition, carried only ...