Meet Indian Women Who Disfigure the noses to avoid abduction

Beauty is an invaluable treasure of identity that invites societal admiration and uniqueness. It would not be quite peculiar if a woman invested all her earnings on her beauty. But for some Indian women from the Apa Tani tribe, their beauty has been more of a vice than a virtue and a source of pain and despondency.

These women have for many years lived in fear of abduction by their neighbouring tribes whenever there is tribal conflict. According to a news report, Apa Tani women have been the primary targets whenever their community go to war with the neighbouring communities.

According to Pete Oxford, a British photojournalist who interacted with the members of the community, women were advised to disfigure their noses so that they can be unattractive to avoid kidnapping.

“The practice originates from the days, up until the mid-70s when neighbouring tribes would raid villages and steal the Apa Tani women. It was decided, by the men apparently, that large nose plugs, of the so-called ‘pig-nosed women’, would render the women so ugly that the raiding parties would no longer want to steal them,” said Oxford

The Indian Apa Tani women now put on the wooden nose plugs that widen their noses so that they can achieve wider noses and ‘ugly’ looks. Even though the community still lives in fear and carrying on with the decades-old practice, the Indian government is averse to the culture.

Most women who have the wooden plugs are aged 40 years and above. This has thrown the future of the practice into doubt since most young women are avoiding it.