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In some tribes, the groom may live with the potential bride’s family for a time, only being allowed to sleep with her after he’d won their approval. Along these same lines, arranged marriages could take place, with parents in two families promising their infants in marriage to one another. There was no ceremony, however, the families needed to approve of the relationship, which is why it was so necessary for the groom to prove himself to his bride’s family. During this time, the bride and groom would begin their bedroom lives, more or less entering into a marriage. In anticipation of a marriage, a young man would join his potential bride’s father in male-dominated activities, like hunting, for about a year. Marriage Was Informal And Involved The Groom Wooing The Bride’s Father Some scholars see polyandry as a form of adultery, however. Absent permanent residence together, these relationships still involved one woman and more than one man. Polyandry was not as well-known in Eskimo communities, but wife-swapping could be considered a form of the practice.
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When Christianity was introduced to Eskimo populations, polygamy declined, but did not disappear. Having more than one wife was a sign that a man could afford to provide for numerous women, a testament to his wealth. Equally if a couple were childless, it wasn’t uncommon for another family to give them a child, whom they’d love as their own, to raise.” Polygamy Was Common For Some Wealthy Eskimos “If a woman fell pregnant by a man other than her husband in the community, there was no stigma. According to the memoir of one English girl who grew up among First Nations tribes in Greenland, This wasn’t shunned, however, and children could be as communal as wives. This doesn’t mean that a good nose-rubbing can’t be intimate -it is - it’s just not something that is found in adult intercourse.īecoming Pregnant By A Man Other Than One’s Husband Was No Big Dealīecause intercourse with another man’s wife was common, it was possible that a woman would become pregnant with a child that wasn’t her husbands. According to David Joanasi, an information officer of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: “When you’re an infant and a little kid, your parents and grandparents and older siblings sniff you and rub your face with their nose,” which removes the sexual aspect of it entirely. In Eskimo communities, however, the kunik – rubbing your nose on someone - is a common greeting and an action that is common between family members. You may have heard of “Eskimo kisses” or even given someone that cute rub of the nose that is a sign of affection. ‘Eskimo Kisses’ Aren’t Really Romantic Gestures Sometimes, when a man was out on a hunt, “his friends think they’re doing his wife a favor by dropping in to ease her loneliness,” according to one polar memoir. Wife-swapping could take the form of co-marriage, which was a more structured arrangement between two couples that exchanged partners. Men considered their companions to be “brothers” and shared everything, including, sometimes, their wives. Within the close relationships between men in Eskimo cultures, there was sharing of food, supplies, and other goods, especially when they were out on a hunt. Eskimo Men Let Their ‘Brothers’ Sleep With Their Wives Keeping different tribes and unique aspects in mind, here’s some general history about sex, Eskimo-style. Eskimo is an umbrella for specific groups and tribes known as Inuits, Aleuts, Yupik, or numerous other names depending on location as well as linguistic and cultural background. However, ideas about gays and lesbians are changing within Eskimo communities.Įven the term “Eskimo” itself is not without its challenges. Sometimes considered to be an over-generalization or even offensive, the term “Eskimo” refers to natives of Arctic regions of the north and subarctic parts of of North America, Greenland, and Siberia. To offer one’s wife to a guest was an aspect of hospitality that had spiritual and practical implications, and the very somber and respected tradition of wife-swapping was often accompanied by shamanistic rituals.ĭespite the open sexuality and frank conversations about marriage within Eskimo culture, other topics, such as those who identify as LGBTQ, have remained taboo (although not quite the “disease” it was thought to be during the Depression). Eskimo sexuality is very tribal and, before outside influences changed it, Eskimo customs and traditions like wife-swapping (sound familiar, Mongols?) and wild parties (hey, the Romans did that too!) were common.