Native American dogs, or Pre-Columbian dogs, were dogs living with people

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. Arriving about 10,000 years ago alongside Paleoindians, today they make up a fraction of dog breeds that range from the

Alaskan Malamute The Alaskan Malamute () is a large breed of dog that was originally bred for its strength and endurance to haul heavy freight as a sled dog and hound. It is similar to other arctic breeds such as the husky, the spitz, the Greenland Dog, Canad ...

and

Peruvian Hairless Dog The Peruvian Hairless Dog, Peruvian viringo, naked dog, or Chimú dog is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is native to Peru and it is usually raised as a pet. It has been officially recognized as part of Peru's cultural heritage. ...

Origins

The earliest evidence for dogs in the Americas can be found in

Danger Cave Danger Cave is a North American archaeological site located in the Bonneville Basin of western Utah around the Great Salt Lakes region, that features artifacts of the Desert Culture from c. 9000 BC until c. 500 AD. Through carbon-14 dating, it h ...

, 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 The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

. In 2018, a study compared sequences of North American dog fossils with

Siberian Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

dog fossils and modern dogs. The nearest relative to the North American fossils was a 9,000 BC fossil discovered on

Zhokhov Island Zhokhov Island ( rus, Остров Жохова, r=Ostrov Zhokhova; sah, Жохов Aрыыта, translit=Joqov Arııta) is an island in the East Siberian Sea, situated 128 km north east of Novaya Sibir Island, the easternmost of the New Si ...

, 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 and Siberian Huskies. 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. The dogs of the Native Americans were described as looking and sounding like wolves. The

Hare Indian dog The Hare Indian dog is an extinct domesticated Canis, canine; possibly a breed of domestic dog, coydog, or domesticated coyote; formerly found and originally bred in northern Canada by the Hare Indians for coursing. It had the speed and some cha ...

is suspected by one author of being a domesticated

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

, based on its historical description. At

Arroyo Hondo Pueblo Arroyo Hondo Pueblo was a pueblo in the upper Rio Grande valley, New Mexico. First occupied in the 13th century, the complex grew rapidly, and at its peak in the 14th century contained up to a thousand rooms; it has been called a "pueblo boomtown". ...

in northern New Mexico during the 14th century C.E., several coyotes seem to have been treated identically to domestic dogs. One of the most ancient dog breeds of the Americas, the

Xoloitzcuintle The Xoloitzcuintle (or Xoloitzquintle, Xoloitzcuintli, or Xolo) is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is found in standard, intermediate, and miniature sizes. The Xolo also comes in a coated variety, totally covered in fur. Coated and hairl ...

(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. In South America, the introduction of the dog took place somewhere between 7,500 and 4,500 BC. Findings for dogs in South America get only denser by 3,500 YBC but seem to be restricted to agricultural areas in the Andes. The oldest finding of a dog for Brazil is dated as 1701 and 1526 cal BC, and for the

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...

of Argentina the oldest is dated as 930 BC.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 dog The Peruvian Hairless Dog, Peruvian viringo, naked dog, or Chimú dog is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is native to Peru and it is usually raised as a pet. It has been officially recognized as part of Peru's cultural heritage. ...

s appear around A.D. 750 on Moche

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

vessels and continue in later Andean ceramic traditions.

Historical purposes

Culinary Some of the cultures that ate dogs were: *

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, a ...

Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: , ;''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1990). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, frolink/ref> singular ) were a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of ...

* Huanca Hunting The

Tahltan Bear Dog The Tahltan Bear Dog was a breed of dog that came to Canada in early migrations and acclimatised to the environment. Appearance The Tahltan was built somewhere between the lines of the spitz and pariah types. The ideal dog was, above all els ...

was bred to hunt larger game. Herding In the Andes region of South America, some cultures like the Chiribaya and

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

used

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog, shepherd dog, sheep dog or working dog, is a Dog type, type of dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to dog breed, breeds that are developed for herding. Herding behavior All herd ...

s, such as the

Chiribaya Dog The Chiribaya Dog ( es, perro Chiribaya) or Peruvian Shepherd Dog (') is an extinct pre-Columbian breed of dog from the southwest of Peru. It has been established that it was a llama herding dog. The dogs were not only an important part of the ...

. Lap dogs and companions

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

occasionally kept ''tlalchichi'', the direct ancestor of the modern

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

breed, as pets. Some well-preserved and intact dog mummies and other burials with grave goods, such as blankets and food, have been interpreted as pertaining dogs that were considered to have had familial status. At the

site of

Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which ...

, dogs with no evidence that would indicate sacrifice have been found in mortuary contexts with and near individuals of apparent high status. Pulling Some tribes utilized dogs for pulling

travois A travois (; Canadian French, from French , a frame for restraining horses; also obsolete travoy or travoise) is a historical frame structure that was used by indigenous peoples, notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America, to drag loads ov ...

. They pulled 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 Pachacámac ( qu, Pachakamaq) is an archaeological site southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the Lurín River. The site was first settled around A.D. 200 and was named after the "Earth Maker" creator god Pacha Kamaq. The site flourished f ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, a popular place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

and religious

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

best-known for the presence of an

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

, archaeologists uncovered the burials of over a hundred dogs with physical signs of sacrifice. Dogs were sometimes considered to be

psychopomp Psychopomps (from the Greek word , , literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are supernatural creatures, spirits, entities, angels, demons or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afte ...

s, guides to the

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

, and were often buried with

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

. The

was believed to have

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

abilities, such as the ability to see spirits, and were seen as a particularly good psychopomps. In Inca times, the dog was also heavily associated with the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

and was sacrificed during

lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. Such alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of the Earth ...

s in order to bring the Moon back.

Osages The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC alon ...

had a clan that shaved their children's heads in three tails, each to symbolize a canid: dog, coyote, and a wolf.

Breeds and landraces

North America: *

Salish Wool Dog The Salish Wool Dog or Comox dog is an extinct breed of white, long-haired, Spitz-type dog that was developed and bred by the Coast Salish peoples of what is now Washington state and British Columbia. The small, long-haired wool dog and the coyot ...

* Techichi *

Calupoh The Calupoh is a canine breed native to Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west ...

* Greenland Dog *

Canadian Eskimo Dog The Canadian Eskimo Dog or Canadian Inuit Dog is a breed of working dog from the Arctic. Other names include ''qimmiq'' *

Carolina Dog The Carolina dog, also known as a yellow dog, yaller dog, American Dingo, or Dixie Dingo, is a breed of medium-sized dog occasionally found feral in Southeastern United States, especially in isolated stretches of longleaf pines and cypress swam ...

* Itzcuintli South America: *

* Pervian Inca Orchid *

Fuegian dog The Fuegian dog ( es, perro yagán, perro fueguino), also known as the Yahgan dog, is an extinct domesticated canid. It was a domesticated form of the culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''). The culpeo is similar in build to true foxes (tribe Vulpini) b ...

(domesticated

culpeo The culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''), also known as culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf,Comparative ecology of two South American foxes, 'Dusicvon ariseus' and 'culpaeus' by Warren E. Johnson. Doctoral dissertation. Io ...

) Caribbean: * Alcos Breeds falsely advertised as Native American-originated: *

American Eskimo Dog The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog, originating in Germany. The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family. It is considered an ancient dog breed due to its recent admixture with wolves. The breed's progenitors were Ger ...

* Chinook *

Northern Inuit Dog __NOTOC__ The Northern Inuit Dog, along with its offshoot breed lines the Tamaskan dog, the British Timber dog and the Utonagan, is a breed of dog developed from a 1980s breeding project in the United Kingdom with the objective of producing a dog ...

Breeds potentially having partial Native American origins: *

Catahoula leopard dog The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. It became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. It is recognized by the United Kennel Club under the name ''Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog'', while the Ame ...

Modern times

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. Modern

free-ranging dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of w ...

s differ in origin from North to South America. In North America, the Carolina dog has

mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA ...

links to East Asian dogs, with a shared

haplotype A haplotype ( haploid genotype) is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. Many organisms contain genetic material ( DNA) which is inherited from two parents. Normally these organisms have their DNA or ...

with the

Shiba Inu The is a breed of hunting dog from Japan. A small-to-medium breed, it is the smallest of the six original and distinct spitz breeds of dog native to Japan. Its name literally translates to "firewood dog". A small, alert, and agile dog that c ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. This suggests that it migrated to North America through

Beringia Beringia is defined today as the land and maritime area bounded on the west by the Lena River in Russia; on the east by the Mackenzie River in Canada; on the north by 72 degrees north latitude in the Chukchi Sea; and on the south by the tip ...

, 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 In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

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 Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

References

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External links