Portrait of an Apatani woman
This Apatani woman is the fourth wife of Ponyo Tamar, an influential man whom Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf sought to befriend in his attempt to gain support among his hosts in the Apatani valley : He described him as 'a white-haired old man bent by years.' His young wife also impressed...
| Full title: |
Portrait of an Apatani woman [electronic resource] English. |
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| Format: | Photo |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1944.
|
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online access: |
Click here to view record |
| Summary: |
This Apatani woman is the fourth wife of Ponyo Tamar, an influential man whom Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf sought to befriend in his attempt to gain support among his hosts in the Apatani valley : He described him as 'a white-haired old man bent by years.' His young wife also impressed Fürer-Haimendorf: 'Though apparently a man of simple tastes, Ponyo Tamar seemed to know how to employ his wealth to secure the good things of life : His fourth wife, a girl some forty years his junior, for whom he had paid a bride price of four mithan, was one of the prettiest and most charming Apa Tani women.' On a visit to Fürer-Haimendorf’s camp site, 'she brought us a gift of eggs, and stayed on our veranda for most of the morning, obviously enjoying herself in the role of a great man's wife : the black nose plugs which lend most Apa Tani women so strange an air did not seem to disfigure her beautifully cast features, and indeed against her rosy skin, the blue-black nose plugs produced a harmonious link with the blue chin-tattoo.' As we can see, she wears the ornaments and facial decoration worn at the time : traditionally, young girls were tattooed and wooden plugs were placed in their nostrils : at age five or six, the tattoo lines were made by pricking the skin with thorns and then rubbing in a mixture of coal black and cooking oil : One line was drawn from forehead to the tip of the nose, and another five on the chin : about the same age, a young girl's nostrils were pierced and wooden pins inserted : a few years later, when the hole was large enough, wooden plugs, also blackened with soot and oil, were inserted : In 1974, however, the Apatani Youth Association demanded that these practices be abandoned, and today tattoos and nose plugs are only seen on women above 35-40 years of age : the large hoop, brass earrings are also no longer worn, and the thick tangle of beads, though still seen, is increasingly unpopular : Similarly, this hairstyle has been replaced by other fashions. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1944.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Access: |
© 1944, The Estate of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. The Estate is currently (2015) represented by Nicholas Haimendorf, son of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. ----- Creative Commons (by-nc-nd). -- This image may be used in accord with Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs. |
| Place of Publication: |
India -- Arunachal Pradesh -- Lower Subansiri District -- Apatani River valley. |