For thousands of years, a breed of shaggy white dog played an important role in the life and culture of the indigenous Coast Salish people in western Canada, but with the arrival of European settlers, the animal quickly became extinct, a study revealed.
The research began with a dog named Mutton, who died in 1859. His fur was part of a collection housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
DNA analysis of the fur, combined with traditional knowledge of the Coast Salish people, provided new insights into the dog that was once bred for its unique woolly coat.
The study published in the journal Science on December 14, says that the dog is believed to have been introduced to the Americas about 15,000 years ago, and that the Coast Salish people carefully maintained the genetic integrity of the animal before European colonization.
Audrey T. Lin, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and lead author of the study, says her study highlights the direct and devastating impacts of colonialism.
Coastal archaeologist Iain McKechnie, from the University of Victoria and co-author of the study, says the dogs were highly prized by the indigenous Coast Salish people, who fed them a special diet and had their coats combed regularly.
The animal’s thick undercoat of wool was shorn to weave blankets and textiles, but increasing settler colonialism forced the tradition’s decline in the 19th century and the indigenous dog population was lost.McKechnie says the study also shows the history of the indigenous people of Western Canada and their love and care for their shaggy dogs.
The study says the decline and disappearance of dogs throughout the 19th century is not fully understood.The introduction of commercial blankets in the coastal region would be too simple an explanation for the abandonment and disappearance of the woolly dog, says the researcher.
Dependent on the survival of their handlers
The survival of the shaggy dogs depended on the survival of their handlers, as well as disease, expanding colonialism, increasing cultural dislocation, displacement of indigenous peoples, and declining capacity to care for that breed of dog.
Coast Salish artist Eliot White-Hill, whose indigenous name is Kwulasultun, explained that although dogs have been extinct for more than a century, their stories remain an important part of the Coast Salish community.
Nanaimo, a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, was a poodle sanctuary, which prevented the dogs from mating with each other, he says.These poodles were at the center of our social and economic systems. I know that at least in my community they were owned and transmitted matrilineally.
He says that a story shared by the elders tells of how a crow tricked the shaggy dogs, who were tired of being pampered, and they ended up escaping the village to go find the crow.The artist says he is working on a children’s book to tell the legend. “We still love and appreciate these little dogs,” he added.
The indigenous people were not allowed to keep their dogs
Coast Salish spinning and textile expert Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa, another co-author of the study, explained that in terms of size, the knee-length shaggy dog had a sharp, fox-like face, and its fur could grow up to six about 15 centimeters long.
She says she interviewed an elder from the Coast Salish Nation in British Columbia for the study. He told her that government agents on indigenous affairs forced his great-grandmother to get rid of the dogs.
High-status women had shaggy dogs at that time, but government employees did not allow them to keep them, the indigenous elder said.Hammond-Kaarremaa says it was difficult to hear the stories. I feel very sad about this. I also feel like it’s important for people to know this.Coast Salish artist Eliot White-Hill says many Salish Indians are excited about the idea of bringing back the shaggy dogs one day.
I don’t know if we have to follow the example of the movie ‘Jurassic Park,’ said White-Hill, referring to the science fiction book and movie where genetic scientists managed to reproduce and give life to some dinosaurs through genetic manipulation.“I think something really powerful is that there are still dog breeds that are similar to the wool dogs that exist today,” Kwulasultun added.
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