The history of Coast Salish “woolly dogs” revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge
Audrey T. Lin, Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa, Hsiao‐Lei Liu, Chris Stantis, Iain McKechnie, Michael Pavel, Susan Pavel, Senaqwila Sen̓áḵw Wyss, Debra Sparrow, Karen Eva Carr, Sabhrina Gita Aninta, Angela Perri, Jonathan Hartt, Anders Bergström, Alberto Carmagnini, Sophy Charlton, Love Dalén, Tatiana R. Feuerborn, Christine A.M. France, Shyam Gopalakrishnan, Vaughan Grimes, Alex Harris, Gwénaëlle M. Kavich, Benjamin N. Sacks, Mikkel‐Holger S. Sinding, Pontus Skoglund, David W. G. Stanton, Elaine A. Ostrander, Greger Larson, Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, Laurent Frantz, Melissa T. R. Hawkins, Logan Kistler
Abstract
Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.