ESKIMO KISS: ORIGIN AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Eskimo kiss, so well known in western latitudes, is a gesture that consists of pressing the tip of the nose with that of the couple, just enough pressure so that both can have the freedom to draw a small semicircle in the air, when turning the head from right to left without the couple losing contact.

This widespread gesture is interpreted as a legitimate show of affection among the people who share it; It is a show of affection, appreciation, concern and delicacy between couples, typical of those who are in a deep and established relationship in which it is even possible that the sentimental and spiritual are above the physical.

The Eskimo kiss was born from the Inuit or Eskimo tribes, and came to the West thanks to a film production.

Source: Bayonetblaha at English Wikipedia

As its name indicates, this gesture is not originally from Western culture; He was born to the tribes of Eskimo society, or Inuit, as they are recently known. It is a traditional greeting, deeply ingrained throughout centuries in its culture and that is called Kunik.

Origin

Imitation as a starting point

One of the theories that tries to explain the origin of this gesture maintains that the Eskimo kiss is born from the imitation of the behavior of some animal species, especially those that have a degree of organization that allows them to live in herds, work together and take care of the young of other females without making a distinction between them.

Among these species (big cats, canines in the wild, etc.), the sense of smell is highly developed. Although the gesture of bringing their snouts to their partners or their young could be interpreted as a manifestation of affection, in reality it implies something more vital to their social scheme; this is identifying the individual close by by smell.

This theory accompanied the Inuit from their appearance and in all their facets of evolution on Earth, through which it is explained how they could have adapted their human needs to show affection to the hostile environment they inhabit.

The cold as an explanation

A different theory, perhaps the most pragmatic of all, points out that cold is the originator of this singular display of affection. Certainly, the human species needs to express feelings towards its fellow human beings and the Inuit do not escape this visceral call of nature.

This theory explains that, due to the very low temperatures that the Inuit endure in their day to day life, they learned that the "western kisses", which we are accustomed to in milder climates, could put their lips and tongues at risk.

The saliva that is shared in a kiss where the lips touch, made up mostly of water, could freeze, sealing the couple in a painful kiss and exposing them to separation methods that are surely no less painful.

How it became known in the West

The Eskimos or Inuit were always tribes isolated from the rest of the world. The climate and the geographical accidents in all its surroundings are responsible for such a situation.

However, in the early 1990s a Hollywood film producer, Robert J. Flaherty, decided to make a film about these isolated human groups. To this end, he lived within one of these tribes to document their customs.

The film was called Nanook of the North, it was released in 1992 and is currently considered one of the first ethnic shootings in documentary format.

It collected a number of Inuit traditions and among those stills was the way in which an Eskimo mother lavished affection on her baby. This tender gesture did not go unnoticed by the spectators, who coined the term "Eskimo kiss" and began to use it as a tender show of affection between couples.

Nowadays, all the social networks in the world show how popular the kunik has become among the inhabitants of the planet. Mothers and children, couples and even people with their pets are the favorite reasons for the photos that are constantly uploaded to the web.

Meaning

Contemporary meanings

One of the explanations given to the kunik is that the Inuit express their love, affection and concern for their partners by putting their faces very close and sharing their breath with their loved one. That breath of air would be an unbreakable bond based on sharing what life gives them both.

Magic and the mystical are also part of the customs of these peoples and this breath of life can be interpreted as “sharing souls”. Other authors claim that this Eskimo kiss has a more erotic twist than the one previously expressed.

Indeed, the proximity of the couple allows them to breathe their breath and, according to these authors, this would be the western equivalent of rubbing hands, stroking the hair or any of these gestures and foreplay that would lead the couple to the sexual act.

The previous explanations of the meaning of the kunik are due to the evolution of behavior and the modernization of life in the Inuit tribes; that is, they are contemporary meanings that are attributed to this gesture.

Meaning in the documentary

During the time that Robert J. Flaherty lived with the Inuit groups, he came to know that this display of affection and affection has nothing to do with relationships, romance or sexual games.

Within the language used by the Inuit (called Inupiak), Kunik is a word that refers to the verb to smell. Even the way in which it is said that Flaherty witnessed the famous "Eskimo kiss" is a bit different from the way it is currently spread worldwide.

From the moment we know that kunik refers to “smell”, we can understand what Flaherty collected in his filming: the mother leaned her face against the child's cheek, and in that small space that was left, each one could feel the other's scent. It is common to see this gesture towards children, not towards adults.

It is possible that the movement of the nose that was misinterpreted as part of the kunik was just an attempt by the mother to warm her son's nose, since that is one of the parts of the human body that cools faster compared to others because of the little blood supply it receives.

References

1. "Eskimo kisses" in Kunik-Kunik. Retrieved on April 2, 2019 from Kunik-Kunik: wordpress.com
2. "Eskimo Kissing" on Wikipedia. Retrieved on April 2, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org
3. "7 Facts about the Inuit Peoples" in What Curiosities. Retrieved on April 2, 2019 from What Curiosities: quecuriosidades.com
4. "The Art of the Kiss" in DW-Germany (Esp). Retrieved on April 2, 2019 from DW-Germany (Esp): dw.com
5. "The Eskimo Kiss does not exist" in Diario Hoy. Retrieved on April 2, 2019 from Diario Hoy: hoy.es