Fiber Analysis of Dog Hair Textiles from the Prehispanic Southwest: Inferences Bearing on Yarn Production and Dog Breed Maintenance

Summary

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

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) was adapted to numerous roles in the past, including providing fiber for textile production. The coast Salish blankets of the Pacific Northwest are the best-known, and best-studied, examples, but dog hair textiles were also produced by indigenous groups in the Southwest, South America, and New Zealand. We examined several exceptionally well-preserved purported dog hair textiles from sites in Northern Arizona including Obelisk Cave and Broken Flute Cave to answer several questions. Our analysis confirmed the presence of both brown and white dog hairs. We also found that many hairs still have roots attached, suggesting dog hairs were collected through brushing or after having been shed. Finally, these textiles include a combination of dog and human hair, cotton fibers, and even feathers. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the role of dog hair as a fiber in the American Southwest. Dog hair appears to have been used in the prehispanic Southwest for a limited subset of clothing items, specifically sashes, belts, and garters, and may have been supplanted by cotton after about AD 1000.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36048.0