Current Issue (Vol 61, No. 2 | July, 2026)

The Apatani are one of the indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh of India. Customarily, they were traditional practitioners of permanent body modification by tattooing on their faces. The practice of tattooing was an integral part of their culture, which they accomplished after reaching a particular biological age. This practice, once integral to Apatani life, was given up in 1974 when the Apatani Youth Association decided to ban it as it was against the spirit of modernity. Since then, traditional tattooing has been discontinued, and any occurrence of such a type of facial decoration in the community is limited only to the elderly people. At the cultural level, traditional facial tattoos are still considered unique visual identifiers of the community and are regarded as an Apatani heritage. This study looks at tattoos as a form of body modification and designing that serves as a visual language for cultural communication, with the emphasis that the meanings and practices of tattooing are culture-specific. The paper aims to explore the cultural, social, and symbolic significance of tattooing among the Apatani community, as well as the social mechanism that could sustain the practice before the ban was enforced. Through this exploration, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the tattoo culture of the Apatanis with a view to establish its historical significance.