IIt took the Coast Salish people thousands of years of careful breeding to produce dogs with fur so thick they could be spun into yarn. And it took only a few decades for settlers in western Canada to drive the Salish Woolly Dog to extinction.
Until recently, it was thought that the only remnants of this beloved dog were a few woven blankets, a piece of fur hidden in a museum 3,000 miles away, and an oral history of generations of Salish people. Ta.
That is, until A British Columbia family found out Their deceased pet, Maggie, looked eerily similar to a drawing of a dog.
new research sheds light on the extinction of this species, condemning colonial government policies that sought to destroy indigenous culture, including the use of woolly dogs. But genetic remnants of the Salish breed may remain in dogs like Maggie, reigniting hopes that the lost species may still be unlikely to return.
The Coast Salish people, whose territory spans from present-day southern British Columbia to northern Oregon, thrived along the coastline thanks in part to a deep knowledge of the bounty of the region's land and waters. did. Cedar, abalone and otter skins were used for ritual ceremonies. But he created one of the most unusual materials used in textiles: dogs, which have been cultivated for thousands of years.
To ensure the purity of the breed, the dogs were bred on the islet and cared for by Salish women who visited by canoe and brought food such as Pacific salmon, herring, and other marine mammals. The dog had its fur cut with a mussel shell knife.
“They were all sheared as close to the skin as English sheep. The fleece was so compact that even if you picked up a large piece by the horns, it wouldn't separate,” said George.・Captain Vancouver said. written in 1792adding fur can be “spun into yarn”.
These yarns were blended with plant fibers and mountain goat hair to create a durable material that can be easily dyed and woven. A great deal of effort went into producing blankets that were used in ceremonies and as a display of wealth.
But by the end of the 19th century, blankets and dogs had disappeared. For years, market forces have been criticized. The mass-produced wool blankets sold by the Hudson's Bay Company were cheap and easy to manufacture, and historians have concluded that they were replaced by Salish wool blankets.
But for Elliot Whitehill, an artist The Coast Salish's name is Qulasultun, but that description didn't feel right. “In our culture, it's not important to cut corners, even if it's easier or more convenient.” Branches must be collected before dawn to ensure that the beautiful sides are not damaged.
“Sure, it would be nice to be able to harvest whenever you want. But doing it the right way is part of our culture,” he said. “So it makes no sense to me that our ancestors just got rid of their furry dogs because it was more convenient to use something else.”
Now researchers at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and Victoria University have confirmed that suspicion. Their discovery is Published in Science magazine last month, It has been suggested that the Salish Woolly Dog was driven to extinction after settlers arrived in western Canada.
“The survival of the woolly dog depends on the survival of its caretakers. In addition to disease, the spread of colonialism, increasing cultural upheaval, the forced removal of indigenous peoples, and the lack of ability to manage the breed. “There has been a decline,” the report said.
Successive colonial governments destroyed Salish culture. Children were sent to boarding schools and deprived of knowledge of language and important customs such as weaving. In 1884, potlatch, a ceremony in which elaborate woolen blankets and other valuables were exchanged, was banned by the government. Prohibition was finally lifted in 1951.
Over 100 years, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and sent to state-funded Christian boarding schools in order to forcibly assimilate them into Canadian society.
They were given new names, forced to convert to Christianity, and forbidden to speak their native language. Thousands died from disease, neglect, and suicide. Many were not returned to their families.
The last boarding school closed in 1996.
Nearly three-quarters of the 130 boarding schools are run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, while others are run by Presbyterians, Anglicans, and the United Church of Canada, currently the country's largest Protestant denomination .
In 2015, historic Truth and Reconciliation CommissionIt concluded that the boarding school system amounted to a policy of cultural genocide.
Survivor testimonies revealed that sexual, psychological, and physical abuse was widespread at the school. And the trauma that students endure is often passed on to younger generations, a reality that is exacerbated by the systemic inequalities that persist across the country.
Dozens of indigenous peoples lack access to potable water, and racism against them is widespread within the health care system. Indigenous people are overrepresented in federal prisons, and Indigenous women are murdered at much higher rates than other groups.
Commissioners identified 20 unmarked graves at former boarding schools, but also warned that many more unidentified graves are still to be found across the country.
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Over 100 years, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and sent to state-funded Christian boarding schools in order to forcibly assimilate them into Canadian society.
They were given new names, forced to convert to Christianity, and forbidden to speak their native language. Thousands died from disease, neglect, and suicide. Many were not returned to their families.
The last boarding school closed in 1996.
Almost three-quarters of the 130 boarding schools are run by Roman Catholic Missionary Congregations, while others are run by Presbyterians, Anglicans, and the United Church of Canada, currently the country's largest Protestant denomination.
In 2015, historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission It concluded that the boarding school system amounted to a policy of cultural genocide.
Survivor testimonies revealed that sexual, psychological, and physical abuse was widespread at the school. And the trauma that students endure is often passed on to younger generations, a reality that is exacerbated by the systemic inequalities that persist across the country.
Dozens of indigenous peoples lack access to potable water, and racism against them is widespread within the health care system. Indigenous people are overrepresented in federal prisons, and Indigenous women are murdered at much higher rates than other groups.
Commissioners identified 20 unmarked graves at former boarding schools, but also warned that many more unidentified graves are still to be found across the country.
And Salish elders recall the capture of dogs by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Indian officers during the Dark Ages, which helped define police-police relations. Communities nationwide.
Anthropologists believe the species was nearly extinct by 1859, but reports of dogs closely resembling the Salish Woolly Dog continued into the 1940s.
When Cecilia Porter adopted a dog in the early 2000s, all she was told was that the dog came from an Indigenous community on northern Vancouver Island.
At the time, she was studying anthropology at the University of Victoria and noticed that her dog Maggie resembled dogs on Earth. textbook cover. After earning her master's degree in Arctic archeology, she returned to the island for her archaeological research and saw her dog repeatedly in her research papers and old photographs.
“I always think, you know, my dog came from the right place. And she has all the right traits,” she said.
Porter, who is currently a PhD candidate in archeology, said the woolly dog's genetic component likely persists for generations and explains Maggie's unique coat, coloration and facial structure. thinking.
“I'm an analytical person. I don't have a really strong, defensible archaeological leg to say she's a hairy dog, but many of her traits are similar to what we see in existence. “It's consistent with the types of dogs known to do this,” she said. Maggie died of advanced cancer in 2020, before Porter could perform a DNA test. However, the chances of a match are still low. Furry dogs are not found in commonly used databases.
For Whitehill, the possibility that vestigial elements of the furry dog survive in modern pets means a chance to recover at least one element of the culture of the Coast Salish people.
“Despite the best efforts of the colonial project to eliminate our people and our customs, we are still here. Our culture is still here. And “We still carry on the teachings of our ancestors,” he said.
Whitehill, who is writing a children's book about the furry canine, said there has been talk in recent years of reviving both the breed and the art of weaving with dog hair.
“It’s not like Jurassic Park,” he warned.
“As Coast Salish people, we have the right to say that the breed is the Salish Woolly Dog. Even if the genetic material has been lost, similar breeds still exist, so “It is possible to selectively breed them from other dogs,” he said. “It's really powerful for people to come together and say that this breed is Salish Woolly. It's about restoring something that was completely lost from our culture, and it's about being proud of our ancestors.” You would think so.”
