Apatani — Women, Memory and Identity
Documentary Photography Project | Northeast India
A documentary photography project focused on women, cultural memory, and the persistence of ancestral identity among the Apatani people of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India.
These portraits were taken among an Indigenous community in which the faces of elder women still carry the visible marks of tradition, time, and belonging. In their presence, stories of loss, resilience, and transformation emerge quietly — often in moments where silence speaks louder than words.
Today, younger generations no longer bear the traditional facial tattoos or nose plugs, a sign of changing identities and the gradual fading of ancestral customs. The presence of a granddaughter beside her elders becomes a fragile bridge between past and present — between memory and becoming.
Through these images, the work seeks to hold together fragility and dignity, the intimate weight of personal history, and the cultural identity that continues to endure, even as it transforms.
