The most striking feature of the Apatani women is the way they adorn their noses – they insert wooden plugs into their nostrils. Small pegs are put in when they are little girls, and as they grow up, the size of the pegs are increased until they are about 2-3 centimeters across. The custom has been explained as an attempt to make Apatani women look ugly so that they would not be taken as slaves by the nearby Nyishi tribe. However it is more probably that the purpose is to imitate the nostrils of a wild animal.
Source:(local-moda.blogspot.in)