Domestic dogs and wild canids on the Northwest Coast of North America: Animal husbandry in a region

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without agriculture?

Abstract

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) occur in the archaeological record throughout North America but few zooarchaeological studies have examined the extent of wild and domestic canids using multi-site observations across regions. Here, we present a meta-analysis of 172,310 mammal specimens identified from 210 archaeological sites along the Northwest Coast focusing on canid abundance, distribution, and osteological identifications. We show that canids have a ubiquitous geographic distribution and a high relative abundance in particular Northwest Coast sub-regions and that species-level identifications are overwhelmingly of domestic dogs in contrast to ~1% of non-domestic canids (wolf, coyote, and fox). Along with geochemical and genetic data, these zooarchaeological observations indicate a variety of roles for dogs including hunting, companionship, and wool production in a region lacking terrestrial agriculture and domestic livestock. We suggest the frequently applied taxonomic status of ‘indeterminate canid’ underestimates the extent to which domestic dogs played key roles in regional economies and cultural practices. Increased attention to resolving taxonomic ambiguity of canids through improving comparative collections and osteometric datasets will help clarify the non-conventional domestication pathways practiced by Northwest Coast peoples.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278416520300726

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What's interesting is this article was in our local paper this morning and I got directed to the above study 2 hours later:

Salish Woolly dog valued for its hair, lived on marine fish, researchers find

A breed of dog raised and revered by First Nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island was fed a significant diet of marine fish — evidence of the animal’s value and cultural importance, according to new research from the University of Victoria.

The Salish Woolly dog lived with First Nations in coastal areas of B.C. and Washington for more than 4,000 years and was valued for its hair, used for textiles such as blankets and other regalia and considered a status symbol worn by high-ranking individuals.

https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/salish-woolly-dog-valued-for-its-hair-lived-on-marine-fish-researchers-find-1.24218658

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1. Rather than edit, I'll add this here

I've lived in BC for most of my life (47 of 58 years) and this was the first time I'd ever heard of this. We were always told in school and even later in other literature, that the coast peoples on first contact with Europeans were seen to wear mostly clothing woven from cedar strips and some fur/leather. I'd never heard of wool gathering from dogs. Thankfully, today, knowledge of indigenous culture is finally being taught to students from a native perspective rather than a euro-centrist one.