After more than 160 years in storage at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the only known pelt of an extinct woolly dog is back on Canada’s West Coast.
asserted
pelt → know → Coast
Woolly dogs were once an abundant species, bred by Salish and Makah peoples along the Pacific coast for their soft, woolly fur, which was woven into clothing, blankets and robes, according to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.
uncertain
which → breed → UBC
They had fluffy light-coloured coats, curled tails and pointy fox-like faces, similar to a Samoyed, only smaller.
asserted
They → have → Samoyed
They were occasionally shorn for their coats, which were often combined with mountain goat hair and the fibres of plants to make a strong, warm wool.
asserted
which → shorn → wool
They were considered extinct by the late 1800s, according to the University of British Columbia, though one was photographed in the 1930s.
uncertain
one → consider → 1930s
Now, the only known pelt in existence is on display at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC until September, 2027, on loan from the Smithsonian.
asserted
pelt → know → Smithsonian
When Atheana Picha first laid eyes on it Friday morning during a special private event for the Indigenous community, emotion welled in her throat.
asserted
emotion → lay → throat
She’d grown up hearing stories of woolly dogs passed down through generations.
asserted
She → grow → generations
“The woolly dogs were a big part of our family life,” Ms. Picha said.
asserted
Picha → say → life
“Having met this relative now, who left us 200 years ago, is pretty powerful.”
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who → meet → us
For generations before European contact, textiles like robes and blankets that included woolly dog fur were considered prized possessions, and used sparingly to mark significant community milestones such as marriages and funerals.
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that → include → marriages
While woolly dogs largely disappeared more than a century ago, knowledge of their importance was kept alive in Salish and Makah oral history, and traditional weaving.
asserted
knowledge → disappear → history
Ms. Picha herself learned those stories, and now helps keep the tradition alive.
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Picha → learn → tradition
“When we see a weaving ... it’s talking about whose territory we’re on, what history’s here,” she said.
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she → see → territory
Ms. Picha explained that Salish oral history describes how it was primarily women who cared for the woolly dogs, often keeping them isolated on small islands so they wouldn’t breed with other village dogs used for hunting.
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they → explain → hunting
They were fed special diets to keep their coats healthy, and shorn about once a year for their fur.
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They → feed → fur
After European contact, the practice of weaving remained an important trade tool for Salish people, but the introduction by settlers of industrially woven fabrics began to erode First Nations’ textile production.
asserted
introduction → remain → production
It wasn’t long before colonial laws started banning many Indigenous cultural practices.
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laws → start → practices
Residential schools sought to erase Indigenous cultures altogether, said Jordan Wilson, the museum’s curator of Pacific Northwest and contemporary Indigenous art.
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Wilson → seek → Northwest
The federal government’s decades-long potlatch ban, which barred First Nations from participating in traditional ceremonies, was particularly devastating, eroding a central hub for sharing cultural knowledge, he said.
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he → bar → knowledge
In recent years, interest in woolly dogs and other traditional wool has grown as efforts to revive Salish weaving took off.
asserted
efforts → grow → weaving
Ms. Picha is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation on Vancouver Island, and learned traditional Salish weaving from master weaver Debra Sparrow of the Musqueam Nation.
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Picha → learn → Nation
In the decades after European contact, the art of Salish weaving was nearly lost.
asserted
art → lose → weaving
Ms. Picha is part of a new generation of Salish women who are helping to bring it back, and having the chance to see a woolly dog’s fur up close, to feel its curl and texture, is invaluable, she said.
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she → help → curl
“Seeing the fibres on the pelt, they’re already twisting,” Ms. Picha said, tracing her finger over the pelt’s glass case.
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Picha → see → case
“They want to be spun.
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They → want → ?
It’s just hungry to be turned into a blanket, turned into warmth.”
asserted
It → ’ → warmth
The pelt now on display in Vancouver is from a dog named Mutton, who was the companion of naturalist George Gibbs.
asserted
who → name → Gibbs
Mr. Gibbs helped carry out land surveys establishing the Canada-U.S. border in the mid-19th century.
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Gibbs → carry → century
It’s not known exactly how Mr. Gibbs came to own Mutton, but Mutton is believed to have come from near present-day Chilliwack, B.C.
asserted
Mutton → know → Chilliwack
Genetic research suggests Mutton lived to be about 18 months old.
uncertain
Mutton → suggest → ?
Mr. Gibbs sent the pelt to the Smithsonian along with other specimens from his time in Salish territory.
asserted
Gibbs → send → territory
According to Mr. Wilson, the loan was made possible because of work by the Stó:lō House of Respect Caretaking Committee, a group of elders and knowledge-keepers from Stó:lō communities in the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon area.
uncertain
loan → accord → area
The group helped advocate for its temporary return.
asserted
group → advocate → return
Mr. Wilson is now part of the team responsible for caring for it.
asserted
Wilson → care → it
He first saw the pelt himself at the Smithsonian years ago, as part of his professional museum training.
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He → see → training
It’s one of the innumerable Indigenous cultural items removed from their homelands by settlers and sent to museums across the globe, separating the artifacts from their communities.
asserted
It → ’ → communities
He said the opportunity to display the pelt close to its original home, even temporarily, is a major milestone.
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opportunity → say → home
“I think this is really important,“ Mr. Wilson said.
asserted
Wilson → think → ?
It’s particularly special for the museum he works at.
asserted
he → ’ → museum
…and 9 more, not listed.
