Nose Plugs Of The Apatani Women

The Apatani, or Tanii, are a tribal group of about 26,000 (approximately) in Ziro valley in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh India. However more Apatanis live outside this valley, making the total population to approximately 26,000 all over the state. Their language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family.
There are no known written records of the history of the Apatani tribe, but throughout their history the Apatani have had a democratic system of running the society. The village council is known as the Bulyang.
One of their oral accounts speaks of their migration from the extreme north of Subansiri and Siang areas following the rivers of Kurung and Kiimey. These oral accounts are usually presented in the form of folk tales such as the miji and migung. These accounts on many occasions are supported by landmarks which still exist on the migratory paths of the Apatanis. At the small village of Yangte in Kurung Kumey district, for example, is a stone beside which the Apatanis held a high-jump competition on their way to the present habitat. Therefore, these oral accounts have substance but need corroboration by anthropological and scientific evidence.