The Tahitian Dog ( ty, ʻŪrī Mā’ohi, literally translated as 'native dog') is an
extinct breed of dog from
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 Austr ...
and 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 ...
. Similar to other strains of
Polynesian dogs, it was introduced to 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 ...
and Tahiti by the ancestors of the
Tahitian (Mā’ohi) people during their migrations to
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 ...
. They were an essential part of traditional Tahitian society; their meat was included in Tahitian cuisine and other parts of the dog were used to make tools and ornamental clothing. Dogs were fed a vegetarian diet and served during feasts as a delicacy. European explorers were the first outsiders to observe and record their existence, and they were served to early explorers including Captain
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
. The Tahitian Dog disappeared as a distinct breed after the introduction of foreign European dogs.
History
The Tahitian Dog, known as the ʻŪrī Mā’ohi in the
Tahitian language, was introduced to Tahiti and the Society Islands (in modern
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
) by the ancestors of the
Tahitian (Mā’ohi) people during their migrations to
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 ...
.
They were closely related to the
Hawaiian Poi Dog
The Hawaiian Poi Dog ( haw, ʻīlio or ''ʻīlio mākuʻe'') is an extinct breed of pariah dog from Hawaiʻi which was used by Native Hawaiians as a spiritual protector of children and as a source of food.
History
The original Hawaiian poi ...
and the
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 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
Kurī
Kurī is the Māori name for the extinct Polynesian dog. It was introduced to New Zealand by the Polynesian ancestors of the Māori during their migration from East Polynesia in the 13th century AD. According to Māori tradition, the demigod M ...
; the latter is believed to be a descendant of the breed.
Similar breeds of
Polynesian dogs were brought alongside pigs and chickens when the people settled the islands of Polynesia. Genetic studies indicate that the New Zealand Kuri/dog is derived from Indonesian dogs, and therefore by inference it is likely that Society island dogs are of the same origin. The
Marquesan Dog
The Marquesan Dog or Marquesas Islands Dog is an extinct breed of dog from the Marquesas Islands. Similar to other strains of Polynesian dogs, it was introduced to the Marquesas by the ancestors of the Polynesian people during their migrations ...
became extinct in the neighboring
Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in th ...
before 1595. Even though dogs were virtually absent from Western Polynesia, they were recognized when European explorers later brought them as items of trade, indicating a universal cultural recognition of the dog in the many islands.
Dogs were tied with strings around the belly and kept in the house, where they were raised as a food source alongside domesticated pigs.
Seen as a delicacy, they were served during feasts and to the high chiefs. Dogs were less abundant than pigs in the islands, possibly because they were killed while they were young.
European visitors noticed that native women, especially those who lost their own children, would often breastfeed puppies and small pigs.
![H000105- Breast Ornament](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/H000105-_Breast_Ornament.jpg)
They were an essential part of traditional Tahitian society. Dog teeth were fashioned into fishhooks and dog bones were made into weapons and implements. They also used dog hair, especially the long tail hairs of the
Tuamotuan varieties of dogs, to decorate the fringes of the ''taumi –'' a traditional breast ornament often called a
gorget
A gorget , from the French ' meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the thro ...
– which were worn by priests and high chiefs.
The Tuamotuan breed were described as similar to their Tahitian counterparts distinguishable by their longer hair. Historian Margaret Titcomb noted that Tuamotuan varieties may not have been a separate breed that developed in isolation, arguing that the people of the Tuamotus could have eaten their short haired varieties and kept their longer haired dogs for exports to the Society Islands.
The Tahitian Dog became extinct in the Society Islands some time after the arrival of European settlers due to the introduction of, and interbreeding with, European dog breeds. By 1834, British traveler Frederick Debell Bennett noted: "Amongst the Society Islands, the aboriginal dog, which was formerly eaten as a delicacy by the natives, is now extinct, or merged into mongrel breeds by propagation with many exotic varieties."
Most other breeds of Polynesian dogs also became extinct due to interbreeding with foreign dogs by the beginning of the 20th century.
This breed and other Polynesian dogs were sometimes considered a distinct species by 18th century naturalists and scientists, and received scientific names such as ''Canis domesticus, indicus taitiensis'' (1778) by
Georg Forster
Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
, ''Canis familiaris villaticus, meridionalis'' (1817) by F. L. Walther, ''Canis otahitensis'' (1836) or ''Canis familiaris orthotus otahitensis'' (1836) by
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (8 January 1793 – 17 March 1879) was a German botanist and ornithologist. It was he who first requested Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Leopold Blaschka to make a set of glass marine invertebrate models for sci ...
, ''Canis pacificus'' (1845) by
Charles Hamilton Smith
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith, KH, KW, FRS, FLS, (26 December 1776 in East Flanders, in the United Provinces of the Netherlands – 21 September 1859 in Plymouth) was an English artist, naturalist, antiquary, illustrator, soldie ...
, and ''Canis familiaris otahitensis'' (1859) by
Christoph Gottfried Andreas Giebel
Christoph Gottfried Andreas Giebel (13 September 1820 – 14 November 1881) was a German zoologist and palaeontologist. He was a professor of zoology at the University of Halle where he managed the zoology collections at the museum. His interests ...
. Luomala noted that the "source material of taxonomists has been derived, often at second- and third-hand, from impressionistic descriptions by members of the expeditions of Captain Cook and other eighteenth-century explorers, none of whom give a single measurement or preserved a specimen for scientific study".
Characteristics
![A view of the island of Otaheite with several vessels of that island, c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/A_view_of_the_island_of_Otaheite_with_several_vessels_of_that_island%2C_c._1773_%28crop_of_dog%29.jpg)
The Tahitian Dogs were described as having a small or medium build, resembling
terrier
Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...
s or crooked-legged
dachshund
The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...
in size. Their coats were usually brown, white or rust-yellow with smooth hairs. They had broad heads, small eyes, long backs, sharp-pointed muzzles and erect ears. They were described as lazy, shy, and not ferocious, but as having notoriously bad dispositions. They seldom barked but sometimes howled. Often they are lumped together with the Hawaiian Poi Dog by 19th-century taxonomists because of their similar appearance and diet, in contrast to the Kurī, which was much larger in size due to their higher protein diet.
Their diet included
breadfruit
Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...
s,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
s,
yams,
poi made from
taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
and sometimes fish. This soft vegetarian diet caused the dogs to develop round skulls and a small stature.
German naturalist
Georg Forster
Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
wrote generally about the Polynesian dogs, but more specifically in response to the ones he saw in the Society Islands during a visit to
Huahine
Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group ''(Îles sous le Vent).'' At the 2017 census it had a population of 6,075. ...
in September 1773:
The dogs of all these islands were short, and their sizes vary from that of a lap-dog to the largest spaniel. Their head is broad, the snout pointed, the eyes very small, the ears upright, and their hair rather long, lank, hard, and of different colours, but most commonly white and brown. They seldom if ever barked, but howled sometimes, and were shy of strangers to a degree of aversion.
European encounters
Tahitian Dogs were offered and served by high ranking chiefs to the early European explorers who visited the islands. In 1767, British explorer
Samuel Wallis
Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795 in London) was a British naval officer and explorer of the Pacific Ocean. He made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti.
Biography
Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, n ...
observed the breed for the first time in Tahiti. They were bounded "with their fore-legs tied over their heads" and attempted to run away in an erect position; Wallis initially took them for "some strange animal". When trading with natives, Wallis' men accepted the offerings of hogs and cloth but untied the dogs and turned them loose, an act that confused the Tahitians.
On
his first voyage, Captain
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
and his crew developed a taste for the dog during a three-month stay in the Society Islands in 1769. Cook wrote an account of the first time his men tried dog meat and the traditional process of preparing the meat:
In his journal, Cook noted, "For tame Animals they have Hogs, Fowls, and Dogs, the latter of which we learned to Eat from them, and few were there of us but what allow'd that a South Sea dog was next to an English lamb".
Artist
Sydney Parkinson
Sydney Parkinson (c. 1745 – 26 January 1771) was a Scottish botanical illustrator and natural history artist. He was the first European artist to visit Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Parkinson was the first Quaker to visit New Zealand.
...
reported that Captain Cook, Banks and Solander when in Tahiti said roasted dog was 'the sweetest meat they ever tasted' although Parkinson stated he abhorred the 'disagreeable smell' which put them off, such that they could not be prevailed upon to eat it.
Naturalist
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences.
Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...
made a similar report.
![Polynesian dog, in 'A view of Huaheine' by John Webber](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Polynesian_dog%2C_in_%27A_view_of_Huaheine%27_by_John_Webber.jpg)
During
Cook's second voyage, Forster brought two Tahitian Dogs aboard the ship to take home to England. They were tested with arrow poison at
Malakula
Malakula Island, also spelled Malekula, is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, in Melanesia, a region of the Pacific Ocean.
Location
Malakula is separated from the islands of Espiritu Santo and Malo by ...
by having their legs opened with a lancet and inserted with the substance; both dogs recovered, though one later died from eating poisonous fish. However, the fate of the other dog and their remains is unknown.
Depictions in European art
Western artists often infused Euro-American characteristics in their depictions of the dogs of Polynesia and possibly many actually depicted the pet dogs kept on European ships rather than native breeds. This resulted in few accurate depictions of the dogs surviving. A few works likely depicting the aboriginal dog breed done by Parkinson, Webber,
Alexander Buchan and
John Frederick Miller
John Frederick Miller (1759–1796) was an English illustrator, mainly of botanical subjects.
Miller was the son of the artist Johann Sebastian Müller (1715 – c. 1790). Miller, along with his brother James, produced paintings from the sketches ...
were compiled by American anthropologist
Katharine Luomala
Katharine Luomala (September 10, 1907 – February 27, 1992) was an American anthropologist known for her studies of comparative mythology in Oceania.
Born in Cloquet, Minnesota and educated at the University of California, Berkeley, Luomala beg ...
, including the two images above.
In 1788,
Charles Catton the younger
Charles Catton the younger (30 December 1756 – 24 April 1819) was an English-born American topographical artist, illustrator, theatrical scene-painter, and slave-owner.
Life and work
Catton, was born in London, the son of Charles Catton ...
, who did not accompany any of voyages, depicted an aquatint engraving of an "Otaheite Dog" in his book ''
Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta
''Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta'' is a book written and illustrated by Charles Catton the younger and published in London in 1788. It is a very early example of a work including hand-coloured aquatints. The thirty-six anim ...
''. Based on its appearance and description, it may actually been a
kurī
Kurī is the Māori name for the extinct Polynesian dog. It was introduced to New Zealand by the Polynesian ancestors of the Māori during their migration from East Polynesia in the 13th century AD. According to Māori tradition, the demigod M ...
instead.
Artist
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...
depicted dogs in Tahiti and the Marquesasalthough it is unclear whether they were the prototypical Polynesian Dogin
several works, including ''I raro te oviri'' (I) (Under the Pandanus I) (1891) and ''
Arearea
''Arearea'' is an 1892 work by French painter Paul Gauguin. It was one of the works Gauguin exhibited at his 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition in Paris. It was bequeathed to the French state in 1961, and was in the collection of the Louvre. From 1986, ...
'' (Joyfulness) 1892.
The prominence in his paintings of these collarless free range dogs has been the subject of much speculation as to their symbolic or
metaphorical
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared with ...
meaning.
Archaeology
Archaeologic records indicate that dogs were present in the Society Islands from the period of initial settlement up to the point of European contact.
Modern digs in Tahiti and the other Society Islands have uncovered few surviving remains of the Tahitian Dog. In 1960, a few canine teeth were uncovered at Ana Paia shelter, on
Mo'orea
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...
. In 1962, a complete skull, limbs, and vertebrae were discovered at a
marae
A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
site on Mo'orea along with a jawbone at another site on the same island.
In 1973, American archaeologists
Yosihiko H. Sinoto
Yosihiko H. Sinoto (September 3, 1924 – October 4, 2017) was a Japanese-born American anthropologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is known for his anthropological expeditions throughout the Pacific, particularly Hawaii and ...
and Patrick C. McCoy discovered bone fragments of domesticated dogs and pigs in the early settlements of Vaiato'oia (near
Fa'ahia
Fa'ahia is an early Polynesian occupation site in the north-east of the island of Huahine, in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. With the neighbouring Vaito'otia site, it dates to between 700 CE and 1200 CE. Because much of the site is ...
) on the island of Huahine.
See also
*
Dog meat
Dog meat is the flesh and other edible parts derived from dogs. Historically, human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world. During the 19th century westward movement in the United States, ''mountainmen'', native ...
*
Dogs portal
Notes
References
{{Extinct breeds of dog
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 Austr ...
Extinct dog breeds
Extinct animals of Oceania
Dogs
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
Polynesian Dog