Abstract
Tattooing among the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh represents a unique cultural practice that encodes identity, gender roles, and social belonging through permanent bodily inscriptions. This research investigates the cultural significance of Apatani tattoo traditions, tracing their historical continuity while examining their evolving role in contemporary expressions of identity. The study considers how tattoos functioned as markers of initiation, aesthetics, ecological symbolism, and communal belonging, and how these practices are being reinterpreted in response to modern influences, state interventions, and shifting generational values. Employing qualitative methods such as ethnographic field observation, oral narratives, and semiotic analysis of tattoo motifs, the research engages directly with the lived experiences of community members while unpacking the symbolic meanings encoded in the designs. The investigation also examines how tattoos serve as an embodied archive of collective memory, carrying ecological wisdom, gendered identities, and ritual significance that extend beyond the aesthetic. Findings indicate that while the practice has declined under the pressures of modernization and social change, tattoos continue to hold meaning as cultural emblems of resilience, kinship, and continuity. For many younger Apatanis, tattoos are now reinterpreted as identity performances in digital and globalized contexts, reflecting adaptive negotiations with modernity. By situating tattoo culture within broader discourses of indigenous heritage and cultural sustainability, the study highlights urgent implications for the preservation of intangible traditions in rapidly transforming societies. Ultimately, Apatani tattooing emerges as a testimony to the community’s adaptive identity and its enduring negotiations with tradition, ecology, and modern cultural currents.
Presenters
Subhashis BanerjeeAssistant Professor, English, Nagaland University, Nagaland, India Vikash Kumar
Research Scholar, English, Nagaland University, Nagaland, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Tattoo, Apatani, Identity, Sustainability, Traditions
