Native American dogs

The earliest evidence for dogs in the Americas can be found in Danger Cave, Utah, a site which has been dated to between 9,000 and 10,000 years BC. These New World dogs have been shown to descend from Old World Eurasian grey wolves.{{cite journal |last1=Leonard |first1=Jennifer A. |last2=Wayne |first2=Rober K. |last3=Wheeler |first3=Jane |last4=Valadez |first4=Raul |last5=Guillen |first5=Sonia |last6=Vila |first6=Carles |title=Ancient DNA Evidence for Old World Origin of New World Dogs |journal=Science |date=2002 |volume=298 |issue=5598 |pages=1615–1616|doi=10.1126/science.1076980 |pmid=12446908 |bibcode=2002Sci...298.1613L |s2cid=37190220 }}

In 2018, a study compared sequences of North American dog fossils with Siberian dog fossils and modern dogs. The nearest relative to the North American fossils was a 9,000 BC fossil discovered on Zhokhov Island, Arctic north-eastern Siberia, which was connected to the mainland at that time. The study inferred from mDNA that all of the North American dogs shared a common ancestor dated 14,600 BC, and this ancestor had diverged along with the ancestor of the Zhokhov dog from their common ancestor 15,600 BC. The timing of the Koster dogs shows that dogs entered North America from Siberia 4,500 years after humans did, were isolated for the next 9,000 years, and after contact with Europeans these no longer exist because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs.

The pre-contact dogs exhibit a unique genetic signature that is now gone, with DNA from the cell nucleus indicating that their nearest genetic relatives today are the Arctic breed dogs—Alaskan Malamutes, Greenland Dogs, Alaskan huskies, Carolina Dogs, and Siberian Huskies.{{cite journal|doi=10.1126/science.aao4776|pmid=29976825|title=The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas|journal=Science|volume=361|issue=6397|pages=81–85|year=2018|last1=Ní Leathlobhair|first1=Máire|last2=Perri|first2=Angela R|last3=Irving-Pease|first3=Evan K|last4=Witt|first4=Kelsey E|last5=Linderholm|first5=Anna|last6=Haile|first6=James|last7=Lebrasseur|first7=Ophelie|last8=Ameen|first8=Carly|last9=Blick|first9=Jeffrey|last10=Boyko|first10=Adam R|last11=Brace|first11=Selina|last12=Cortes|first12=Yahaira Nunes|last13=Crockford|first13=Susan J|last14=Devault|first14=Alison|last15=Dimopoulos|first15=Evangelos A|last16=Eldridge|first16=Morley|last17=Enk|first17=Jacob|last18=Gopalakrishnan|first18=Shyam|last19=Gori|first19=Kevin|last20=Grimes|first20=Vaughan|last21=Guiry|first21=Eric|last22=Hansen|first22=Anders J|last23=Hulme-Beaman|first23=Ardern|last24=Johnson|first24=John|last25=Kitchen|first25=Andrew|last26=Kasparov|first26=Aleksei K|last27=Kwon|first27=Young-Mi|last28=Nikolskiy|first28=Pavel A|last29=Lope|first29=Carlos Peraza|last30=Manin|first30=Aurélie|pmc=7116273|bibcode=2018Sci...361...81N|display-authors=29|url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/25675/1/25675.pdf|doi-access=free}}

It is theorized that there were four separate introductions of the dog over the past nine thousand years, in which five different lineages were founded in the Americas.{{cite journal|last1=Leonard|first1=Jennifer A.|last2=Wayne|first2=Rober K.|last3=Wheeler|first3=Jane|last4=Valadez|first4=Raul|last5=Guillen|first5=Sonia|last6=Vila|first6=Carles|date=2002|title=Ancient DNA Evidence for Old World Origin of New World Dogs|journal=Science|volume=298|issue=5598|pages=1615–1616|doi=10.1126/science.1076980|pmid=12446908|bibcode=2002Sci...298.1613L|s2cid=37190220}}

The aboriginal dogs of the Native Americans were described

as looking and sounding like wolves.[https://books.google.com/books?id=HliAW7Jr9gMC&pg=PA40 Dogs: Domestication and the Development of a Social Bond] by Darcy F. Morey page 40 The Hare Indian dog is suspected by one author of being a domesticated coyote from its historical description.{{cite web|url=http://retrieverman.net/2011/12/31/was-the-hare-indian-dog-a-domesticated-coyote/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702043629/http://retrieverman.net/2011/12/31/was-the-hare-indian-dog-a-domesticated-coyote/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 2, 2014 |title=Was the Hare Indian dog a domesticated coyote? | Natural History |website=Retrieverman.net |date= |accessdate=2016-05-21}} At Arroyo Hondo Pueblo in northern New Mexico during the 14th century C.E., several coyotes seem to have been treated identically to domestic dogs.{{Cite journal |last1=Monagle |first1=Victoria |last2=Conrad |first2=Cyler |last3=Jones |first3=Emily Lena |date=2018-09-18 |title=What Makes a Dog? Stable Isotope Analysis and Human-canid Relationships at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo |journal=Open Quaternary |language=en |volume=4 |pages=6 |doi=10.5334/oq.43 |issn=2055-298X|doi-access=free }}

One of the most ancient dog breeds of the Americas, the Xoloitzcuintle (or 'Xolo' for short), accompanied the earliest migrants from Asia and had developed into the breed seen today in Mexico by at least 3,500 years ago."[https://web.archive.org/web/20191031095856/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/11/hairless-dog-mexico-xolo-xoloitzcuintli-Aztec/ This Hairless Mexican Dog Has a Storied, Ancient Past]". National Geographic News. 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2020-01-06.

In South America, the introduction of the dog took place sometime between 7,500 and 4,500 BP (5550–2550 BCE). Findings for dogs in South America get only denser by 3,500 BP (1550 BCE) but seem to be restricted to agricultural areas in the Andes. The oldest finding of a dog for Brazil is radiocarbon dated to between 1701 and 1526 cal BP (249–424 CE),{{Cite journal | doi=10.1002/oa.2546| title=The First Record of a Pre-Columbian Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris ) in Brazil| journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology| volume=27| issue=3| pages=488–494| year=2017| last1=Guedes Milheira| first1=R.| last2=Loponte| first2=D. M.| last3=García Esponda| first3=C.| last4=Acosta| first4=A.| last5=Ulguim| first5=P.| url=https://research.tees.ac.uk/ws/files/4183963/620630.pdf}} and for the Pampas of Argentina the oldest is dated as 930 BP (1020 CE).Luciano Prates, Francisco J. Prevosti, Mónica Berón: First records of Prehispanic dogs in southern South America (Pampa-Patagonia, Argentina). In: Current Anthropology, volume 51, number. 2, April 2010, pp. 273-280, doi: 10.1086/650166. In Peru, depictions of Peruvian hairless dogs appear around 750 CE on Moche ceramic vessels and continue in later Andean ceramic traditions.Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York:Thames and Hudson, 1997.{{page needed|date=October 2020}}{{better source needed|reason=artistic license by the author?|date=October 2020}}

Culinary

{{see also|Dog meat}}

There are numerous historical accounts of indigenous peoples eating dog meat. In their journals from their 1804–1806 expedition through western North America, both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark mention dog consumption by many of the indigenous tribes they encountered.{{Cite book |last=Reisman |first=Mikaela E. |url=https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1417&context=srhonorsprog |title=How has the domestication of dogs impacted native North American culture and way of life? |date=May 2015 |publisher=University of Rhode Island |pages=8 |language=en}}

Hunting

The Tahltan Bear Dog was bred to hunt larger game.{{cite web|url=http://www.pawnation.com/2014/04/14/10-extinct-dog-breeds/8 |title=Pets - Tips & Advice | mom.me |website=Pawnation.com |date= |accessdate=2016-05-21}}

Herding

In the Andes region of South America, some cultures like the Chiribaya and Inca used herding dogs, such as the Chiribaya Dog.

Lap dogs and companions

Mexica nobility of Mexico occasionally kept tlalchichi, the direct ancestor of the modern Chihuahua breed, as pets.{{cite journal |last1=van Asch |first1=Barbara |last2=Zhang |first2=Ai-bing |last3=Oskarsson |first3=Mattias C. R. |last4=Klutsch |first4=Cornelya F. C. |last5=Amorim |first5=Antonio |last6=Savolainen |first6=Peter |title=Pre-Columbian Origins of Native American Dog Breeds, With Only Limited Replacement by European Dogs, Confirmed by mtDNA Analysis |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society |date=2013 |pages=1–9}} Some well-preserved and intact dog mummies and other burials with grave goods, such as blankets and food, have been interpreted as pertaining to dogs that were considered to have had familial status. At the Inca site of Machu Picchu, dogs with no evidence that would indicate sacrifice have been found in mortuary contexts with and near individuals of apparent high status.{{cite book|last1=Wylde|first1=Michael|title=The Inca Dogs and Their Ancestors|date=2017|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan}}

Pulling

Some tribes utilized dogs for pulling travois. They pulled the game, tipi, and other items for their masters.

Religious Significance

In South America, several different cultures sacrificed dogs in religious ceremonies. At the site of Pachacamac in Peru, a popular place of pilgrimage and religious ritual best known for the presence of an oracle, archaeologists uncovered the burials of over a hundred dogs with physical signs of sacrifice. Dogs were sometimes considered to be psychopomps, guides to the afterlife, and were often buried with elite. The Peruvian hairless dog was believed to have supernatural abilities, such as the ability to see spirits, and was seen as a particularly good psychopomp. In Inca times, the dog was also heavily associated with the Moon and was sacrificed during lunar eclipses in order to bring the Moon back.

Osages had a clan that shaved their children's heads in three tails, each to symbolize a canid: dog, coyote, and wolf.{{cite book|last1=Louis|first1=Louis F.|title=Osage Indian Customs and Myths|date=1984|publisher=Ciga Press|location=Fallbrook, California}}

{{multiple image

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North America:

• †Hare Indian dog
• †Salish Wool Dog{{cite web|url=http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2010/03/barks-from-the-past-10-extinct-dog-breeds/ |title=Barks From The Past – 10 Extinct Dog Breeds | Dog Reflections |website=Dogguide.net |date= |accessdate=2016-05-21}}
• †Tahltan Bear Dog{{cite web|url=http://www.everythinghusky.com/features/beardog.html |title=The Tahltan Bear Dog |website=Everythinghusky.com |date= |accessdate=2016-05-21}}
• †Techichi
• Xoloitzcuintle
• Calupoh{{Cite web|url=https://sanmigueltimes.com/2019/10/calupoh-the-ancient-mexican-wolf-dog/|title=Calupoh: the ancient Mexican wolf-dog|date=October 10, 2019|website=San Miguel Times}}
• Greenland Dog
• Canadian Eskimo Dog{{cite web|author=Rhitu Chatterjee |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/07/10/200498354/barking-up-the-family-tree-american-dogs-have-surprising-genetic-roots |title=Barking Up The Family Tree: American Dogs Have Surprising Genetic Roots |publisher=NPR |date=2013-07-10 |accessdate=2016-05-21}}
• Carolina Dog
• Alaskan Malamute
• Chihuahua{{cite journal|display-authors=1|doi=10.1126/science.aba9572|title=Origins and genetic legacy of prehistoric dogs|year=2020|last1=Bergström|first1=Anders|last2=Frantz|first2=Laurent|last3=Schmidt|first3=Ryan|last4=Ersmark|first4=Erik|last5=Lebrasseur|first5=Ophelie|last6=Girdland-Flink|first6=Linus|last7=Lin|first7=Audrey T.|last8=Storå|first8=Jan|last9=Sjögren|first9=Karl-Göran|last10=Anthony|first10=David|last11=Antipina|first11=Ekaterina|last12=Amiri|first12=Sarieh|last13=Bar-Oz|first13=Guy|last14=Bazaliiskii|first14=Vladimir I.|last15=Bulatović|first15=Jelena|last16=Brown|first16=Dorcas|last17=Carmagnini|first17=Alberto|last18=Davy|first18=Tom|last19=Fedorov|first19=Sergey|last20=Fiore|first20=Ivana|last21=Fulton|first21=Deirdre|last22=Germonpré|first22=Mietje|last23=Haile|first23=James|last24=Irving-Pease|first24=Evan K.|last25=Jamieson|first25=Alexandra|last26=Janssens|first26=Luc|last27=Kirillova|first27=Irina|last28=Horwitz|first28=Liora Kolska|last29=Kuzmanovic-Cvetković|first29=Julka|last30=Kuzmin|first30=Yaroslav|last31=Losey|first31=Robert J.|last32=Dizdar|first32=Daria Ložnjak|last33=Mashkour|first33=Marjan|last34=Novak|first34=Mario|last35=Onar|first35=Vedat|last36=Orton|first36=David|last37=Pasaric|first37=Maja|last38=Radivojevic|first38=Miljana|last39=Rajkovic|first39=Dragana|last40=Roberts|first40=Benjamin|last41=Ryan|first41=Hannah|last42=Sablin|first42=Mikhail|journal=Science|volume=370|issue=6516|pages=557–564|pmid=33122379|pmc=7116352|s2cid=225956269}}

South America:

• †Chiribaya Dog
• Argentine Pila
• Hairless Khala
• Peruvian Inca Orchid
• †Fuegian dog (domesticated culpeo)
• †Munutrú (A "small ugly hairy dog", used for yarn){{cite magazine |last=Westhoff |first=Rodolfo |date=2018-02-06 |title= |url="https://eldefinido.cl/actualidad/mundo/9630/Doglovers-precolombinos-los-perros-que-antes-habitaban-America/" |magazine= |location=Chile |publisher="El definido" |access-date=2024-09-10}}
• †Tregua{{cite journal|display-authors=1|doi= 10.1002/ece3.7642|title=History of canids in Chile and impacts on prey adaptations|year=2021|last2=Silva Rochefort|first2=Benjamín|last1=Root-Bernstein|first1=Meredith|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=11|issue=15|pages=9892–9903|pmid= 34367547|pmc= 8328442|bibcode= 2021EcoEv..11.9892S}} (Also known as thregua, possible precursor to modern "quiltros". Used for hunting )

Caribbean:

• †Alcos

Breeds falsely advertised as Native American-originated:

• American Eskimo Dog{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
• Chinook{{cite web |url=http://www.chinook.org/history.html |title=Chinook History |website=Chinook.org |date=1917-01-17 |accessdate=2016-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718132723/http://www.chinook.org/history.html |archive-date=2016-07-18 |url-status=dead }}
• Northern Inuit Dog{{cite web|url=http://www.petguide.com/breeds/dog/northern-inuit-dog/ |title=Northern Inuit Dog |website=Petguide.com |date=2015-05-21 |accessdate=2016-05-21}}

Breeds potentially having partial Native American origins:

• Catahoula leopard dog

Today, most Native American dog breeds have gone extinct, mostly replaced by dogs of European descent. The few breeds that have been identified as Native American, such as the Inuit Sled Dog, the Eskimo Dog, the Greenland Dog and the Carolina Dog have remained mostly genetically unchanged since contact in the 15th century.{{cite journal|last1=van Asch|first1=Barbara|last2=Zhang|first2=Ai-bing|last3=Oskarsson|first3=Mattias C. R.|last4=Klutsch|first4=Cornelya F. C.|last5=Amorim|first5=Antonio|last6=Savolainen|first6=Peter|date=2013|title=Pre-Columbian Origins of Native American Dog Breeds, With Only Limited Replacement by European Dogs, Confirmed by mtDNA Analysis|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society|pages=1–9}}

Modern free-ranging dogs differ in origin from North to South America. In North America, the Carolina dog has mtDNA links to East Asian dogs, with a shared haplotype with the Shiba Inu in Japan. This suggests that it migrated to North America through Beringia, therefore making it a Native American dog. In South America, on the other hand, free-ranging dogs are almost entirely of European descent.

In 2018, a study compared sequences of fossil North American dogs with fossil Siberian dogs and modern dogs. The study indicates that dogs entered North America from Siberia 4,500 years after humans did, were isolated for 9,000 years, and after contact with Europeans these no longer exist because they were replaced with Eurasian dogs. The pre-contact dogs exhibit a unique genetic signature that is also now gone, with their nearest living relative being the modern Arctic breed dogs originally introduced by the Inuit.

• Dogs in Mesoamerica
• Carolina dog
• Dusicyon avus, which is not a dog but probably a tamed canid.
• Feist
• Landrace
• Rez dog

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.canidae.com/blog/2014/05/what-happened-to-the-native-dogs-of-north-america.html Canidae.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131951/http://www.canidae.com/blog/2014/05/what-happened-to-the-native-dogs-of-north-america.html |date=2016-03-04 }}

Category:Dog landraces

Category:Dog breeds originating from Indigenous Americans

Category:Dogs

Category:Domesticated canids