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| Photo by: Tadu Omo |
1. By Dr. Pura Tado with input from Takhe Piilo in www.popeerscope.com
"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 propose 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 plough 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 Gyute 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. To 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."
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 plough 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 Gyute 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. To 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."
2. Extraction from Apatanese Forum of 23/02/13
(a) Once upon there lived a tribe/community called Tanii-Tarw at Ziro Putu of present Old Ziro, Tanii women were were very beautiful and this community frequently abducted Tanii women from Paddy field. So, to ward off from this tribe, the Tanii women had started disfigurement of their face by Tattooing and using nose plug.
(b) And for some, they believed that it was part of beautification of their body like the present Tattooing of body young generation. Might be Tattooing was thing of beauty before Tanii were connected to outside world.
PROCEDURE OF TIIPE AND YAPING HULLO:-
Tiipe:- There is kind of thorn which Tanii call as Tiipe Tiire. This tiire was used for piercing from forehead to nose and then to chin in women. man has only 'T' shape Tattoo in the chin, when the blood came out, Chinyu mixed with Hulyi was applied on pierced/tattooed portion resulting in bluish colour.
Yaping Hulo:- Initially, a small hole was pierced in nose with Pasu, according to that size, a bamboo strip was inserted to enlarge the hole, latter when hole gradually increase, cane plug was inserted into hole.
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