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Kurī is the Māori name for the extinct Polynesian dog. It was introduced to
Kurī is the Māori name for the extinct Polynesian dog. It was introduced to New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
by the Polynesian ancestors of the Māori during their migration from East Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
in the 13th century AD. According to Māori tradition, the demigod Māui transformed his brother-in-law Irawaru into the first dog.
Description
Kurī were bushy-tailed, with short legs and powerful shoulders. Their coat colour ranged from yellowish brown to black, white, or spotted. Like other Polynesian dog breeds, they howled instead of barked – the Māori word for the howl was ''auau''.Use
Kurī were a source of food for Māori, and considered adelicacy
A delicacy is usually a rare and expensive food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture. Irrespective of local preferences, such a label is typically pervasive throughout a r ...
. British explorer James Cook sampled kurī on his 1769 voyage and declared that it was almost as tasty as lamb.
Kurī were also used to hunt birds. In addition, Māori used their skins and fur to make dog-skin cloaks ( kahu kurī), belts, weapon decorations and poi.
Extinction
Kurī were seen widely across New Zealand during Cook's first voyage in 1769. The kurī became extinct in New Zealand in the 1860s, following the arrival of European settlers; the breed was unable to survive interbreeding with European dogs. The remains of the last known specimens, a female and her pup, are now in the collection of theMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...
.
See also
*Hawaiian Poi Dog
The Hawaiian Poi Dog ( haw, ʻīlio or ''ʻīlio mākuʻe'') is an List of extinct dog breeds, extinct breed of pariah dog from Hawaii, Hawaiʻi which was used by Native Hawaiians as a spiritual protector of children and as a Dog meat, source of f ...
– breed of Polynesian dog native to Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
*List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both extant and extinct dog breeds, varieties, landraces, and dog types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds as "a recent invention defined by conformation to ...
* List of extinct dog breeds
* Tahitian Dog – breed of Polynesian dog native to Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Aust ...
in the Society Islands
The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...
* Marquesan Dog – breed of Polynesian dog native to the Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan
Marquesan is a collection of East-Central Polynesian dialects, of the Marquesic group, spoken in the Marquesas Islands of ...
References
Further reading
* * *Allo Bay-Peter en. J. L. 1979. The role of the dog in the economy of the New Zealand Maori. In Anderson. A. J. (Ed). ''Birds of a Feather: Osteological and Archaeological papers from the South Pacific in honour of R. J. Scarlett'': 165- 181. British Archaeological Records. International Series 62. * * * *Clark, Geoffrey R. (1995). The Kuri in Prehistory: a Skeletal Analysis of the Extinct Maori Dog. MA thesis, Anthropology Department, University of Otago * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuri Extinct dog breeds Extinct animals of New Zealand Dog meat Polynesian Dog Mammals of New Zealand Dog breeds originating in New Zealand