“Mutton” and the Paleogenomics of Coast Salish Woolly Dogs

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Dogs in the Archaeological Record" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Prior to European colonization, Indigenous Coast Salish peoples in the Pacific Northwest traditionally raised a long-haired domestic dog breed to harvest its hair for weaving. The decline of dog-hair weaving has been attributed to the introduction of machine-made blankets by British and American trading companies in the early nineteenth century, and these “woolly dogs” disappeared by the late nineteenth century. However, woolly dogs were a form of wealth and status, and dog hair blankets were items of prestige. Here, we analyzed the genome, isotopic signatures, and archival records of “Mutton,” the only known woolly dog pelt, and contextualize these approaches using ethnographic interviews to better understand the history, importance, and decline of these dogs. Genomic analyses reinforce its Indigenous North American origins, demonstrate the reproductive isolation needed for the woolly phenotype, and provide insights into the genetics of woolliness. Traditional knowledge shared through ethnographic interviews affirm that deliberate persecution of Coast Salish people and culture by colonial government actions, and not simple economic forces, was largely responsible for the loss of woolly dogs. We demonstrate how community-led research questions coupled with Western science contribute to reclaiming Coast Salish cultural traditions, highlighting the successes and ingenuity of Indigenous Knowledge systems.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Dogs in the Archaeological Record   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35970.0