Eurasian/North American Grey Wolf, Canis lupus.
At least 2,000 years before Creationists' little god created a small flat planet with a dome over it in the Middle East, human in Alaska were feeding domesticated dogs on salmon, according to the findings of palaeontologists from the University of Arizona.
But of course, the parochial Bronze Age pastoralists from the infancy of our species who made up that myth, couldn't possibly have known anything about when dogs were domesticated, or Alaska for that matter because, as we can see from the tales they made up, they knew nothing of the world beyond a day or two's walk from their pastures and were completely ignorant of the geography, geology and history of the planet and life on it - which is why they made up such implausible origin myths in the first place.
That there were people feeding salmon to their domesticated dogs about 12,000 years ago is the subject of a paper published recently in Science Advances by the Arizona University team led by Assistant Professor François Lanoë, of the School of Anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. They explain their findings in an Arizona University News release
Domestication of dogs in Alaska. The domestication of dogs in Alaska is a fascinating chapter in human and canine history, intertwining the story of survival, adaptation, and the mutual reliance between humans and their canine companions. This narrative sheds light on how early humans and dogs forged a unique bond, particularly in the challenging and often harsh environment of Alaska, where cooperation and adaptation were essential for survival.
Early Origins of Domesticated Dogs in Alaska
Dogs are believed to have been domesticated from wolves tens of thousands of years ago, with archaeological evidence suggesting that this process began in Eurasia. By the time humans migrated to the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge (approximately 15,000–20,000 years ago), they were accompanied by domesticated dogs. These dogs likely served as essential partners in hunting, guarding, and transportation.
The earliest archaeological evidence of domesticated dogs in Alaska comes from sites such as the *Upward Sun River* and others, where ancient dog remains have been uncovered alongside human tools and artifacts. Radiocarbon dating of these finds places their arrival in the region to around 10,000 years ago. Genetic studies indicate that these early dogs were distinct from modern dog breeds and likely represented a lineage closely tied to the original domestication event in Eurasia.
Roles of Dogs in Early Alaskan Societies
In the challenging environment of Alaska, early human societies relied heavily on dogs for various survival-related tasks. Dogs were versatile and essential companions, fulfilling roles such as:
Adaptation to Arctic Conditions
- Hunting Aides: Dogs helped humans track and hunt game like caribou, seals, and even whales. Their keen sense of smell and ability to traverse icy and rugged terrain made them invaluable partners in securing food.
- Transportation: Dogs were harnessed to sleds, becoming integral to Arctic and sub-Arctic transportation. This innovation revolutionized the movement of goods and people, particularly during winter months when snow covered the ground.
- Protection and Companionship: Dogs guarded camps and warned of approaching predators or rival human groups. They also served as loyal companions, providing emotional support to their human families.
The dogs that accompanied early settlers to Alaska underwent significant adaptations to thrive in the extreme Arctic environment. Over generations, they developed traits such as thick double coats for insulation, compact body sizes to conserve heat, and a high tolerance for cold temperatures. These adaptations were driven by natural selection and human breeding practices that favoured traits beneficial for survival in the harsh climate.
The development of sled dogs, in particular, marked a significant adaptation. Breeds like the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky trace their lineage to these early Arctic dogs. These breeds were selectively bred for stamina, strength, and the ability to pull heavy loads over long distances.
The Cultural Significance of Dogs
Dogs held deep cultural significance for indigenous peoples of Alaska, such as the Inupiat, Yup'ik, and Athabaskan groups. They were not only work animals but also woven into myths, spiritual beliefs, and daily life. For example, dogs were often considered spirit guides or protectors, playing roles in shamanistic rituals and oral traditions.
The relationship between humans and dogs in Alaska was symbiotic. While humans provided shelter, food, and care, dogs offered their labour, loyalty, and protection. This partnership was built on mutual respect and the understanding that both species depended on one another for survival.
Archaeological and Genetic Evidence
Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have provided a clearer picture of dog domestication and its spread to Alaska. DNA analysis of ancient dog remains from Alaska and other parts of the Americas has revealed that these dogs shared genetic similarities with Siberian and East Asian dogs, supporting the theory of migration via the Bering Land Bridge.
Interestingly, these ancient dogs were eventually supplanted by European dog breeds brought by settlers and explorers in later centuries. However, their genetic legacy persists in some modern Arctic breeds, showcasing the enduring impact of these early domesticated dogs.
Dogs and the Inuit Expansion
The Inuit, who arrived in Alaska around 1,000 years ago, brought with them highly specialized sled dogs, further advancing the use of dogs in Arctic environments. These dogs were smaller and more agile compared to earlier breeds and were specifically bred for sledding efficiency.
The Inuit’s expertise in dog sledding and their close relationship with their dogs enabled them to expand across vast Arctic territories. The dogs not only pulled sleds but also helped scout for seals’ breathing holes in the ice, demonstrating their crucial role in Inuit survival and culture.
Modern Reflections on Alaskan Dog Domestication
Today, the legacy of domesticated dogs in Alaska is most prominently seen in the world of dog sledding. Events like the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race celebrate this ancient partnership, showcasing the endurance and capabilities of modern sled dogs. While sledding has become a recreational and competitive sport, it remains a testament to the historical significance of dogs in Alaska.
Modern Alaskan breeds like the Alaskan Malamute and Alaskan Husky embody the adaptations and traits honed over millennia. These dogs are living reminders of the deep historical connection between humans and dogs in the region.
Conclusion
The domestication of dogs in Alaska is a story of adaptation, survival, and cooperation. From the earliest human migrations across the Bering Land Bridge to the present day, dogs have been indispensable partners in navigating the challenges of Alaska’s unforgiving environment. Their roles as hunters, protectors, and transporters have been vital to human survival and cultural development in the region.
Moreover, the bond between humans and dogs in Alaska underscores the broader story of domestication—a process that has shaped both species in profound ways. Through shared hardships and mutual reliance, the domestication of dogs in Alaska highlights the enduring strength of the human-animal connection.
How did humans and dogs become friends? Connections in the Americas began 12,000 years ago
"Dog is man's best friend" may be an ancient cliché, but when that friendship began is a longstanding question among scientists. A new study led by a University of Arizona researcher is one step closer to an answer on how Indigenous people in the Americas interacted with early dogs and wolves.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances and based on archaeological remains in Alaska, shows that people and the ancestors of today's dogs began forming close relationships as early as 12,000 years ago – about 2,000 years earlier than previously recorded in the Americas.
We now have evidence that canids and people had close relationships earlier than we knew they did in the Americas. People like me who are interested in the peopling of the Americas are very interested in knowing if those first Americans came with dogs. Until you find those animals in archaeological sites, we can speculate about it, but it's hard to prove one way or another. So, this is a significant contribution.
Assistant Professor François Lanoë, Lead author
School of Anthropology
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. University of Arizona, USA
Lanoë and his colleagues unearthed a tibia, or lower-leg bone, of an adult canine in 2018 at a longstanding archaeological site in Alaska called Swan Point, about 70 miles southeast of Fairbanks. Radiocarbon dating showed that the canine was alive about 12,000 years ago, near the end of the Ice Age.
The jawbone and the leg bone – the latter seen here in a composite scan image – both showed traces of salmon proteins in lab testing, leading researchers to conclude that humans had fed the fish to the dogs.François Lanoë/School of Anthropology
Another excavation by the researchers in June 2023 – of an 8,100-year-old canine jawbone at a nearby site called Hollembaek Hill, south of Delta Junction – also shows signs of possible domestication.
The smoking gun? A belly of fish
Chemical analyses of both bones found substantial contributions from salmon proteins, meaning the canine had regularly eaten the fish. This was not typical of canines in the area during that time, as they hunted land animals almost exclusively. The most likely explanation for salmon showing up in the animal's diet? Dependence on humans.
This is the smoking gun because they're not really going after salmon in the wild.
Ben Potter, co-author
Department of Anthropology
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA.
The researchers are confident that the Swan Point canine helps establish the earliest known close relationships between humans and canines in the Americas. But it's too early to say whether the discovery is the earliest domesticated dog in the Americas.
That is why the study is valuable, Potter said: "It asks the existential question, what is a dog?"
The Swan Point and Hollembaek Hill specimens may be too old to be genetically related to other known, more recent dog populations, Lanoë said.
Behaviourally, they seem to be like dogs, as they ate salmon provided by people, but genetically, they're not related to anything we know.
Assistant Professor François Lanoë.
He noted that they could have been tamed wolves rather than fully domesticated dogs.
'We still had our companions'
Researchers unearthed the jawbone at a site called Hollembaek Hill, south of Delta Junction. Where archaeologists have done research in partnership with local tribes for nearly a century.Photo: Zach Smith.
The study represents another chapter in a longstanding partnership with tribal communities in Alaska's Tanana Valley, where archaeologists have worked since the 1930s, said study co-author Josh Reuther, an archaeologist with the University of Alaska Museum of the North.
Researchers regularly present their plans to the Healy Lake Village Council, which represents the Mendas Cha'ag people indigenous to the area, before undertaking studies, including this one. The council also authorized the genetic testing of the study's new specimens.
Evelynn Combs, a Healy Lake member, grew up in the Tanana Valley, exploring dig sites as a kid and taking in what she learned from archaeologists. She's known Lanoë, Potter and Reuther since she was a teenager. Now an archaeologist herself, Combs works for the tribe's cultural preservation office.
"It is little – but it is profound – to get the proper permission and to respect those who live on that land," Combs said.
Healy Lake members, Combs said, have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions. Today, nearly every resident in her village, she said, is closely bonded to one dog. Combs spent her childhood exploring her village alongside Rosebud, a Labrador retriever mix.
"I really like the idea that, in the record, however long ago, it is a repeatable cultural experience that I have this relationship and this level of love with my dog," she said. "I know that throughout history, these relationships have always been present. I really love that we can look at the record and see that thousands of years ago, we still had our companions."
These dates, combined with evidence of a diet linked closely to the changing diet of humans, both seasonally and over time, with dried salmon being available at least as dog food when salmon are not 'running', is evidence of a growing symbiosis between canids, either tame wolves, Canis lupus, or domesticated, selectively bred dogs, Canis familiaris, in Alaska prior to European immigration, shows how dogs were becoming more and more important to the people who lived in the area, using them as hunting companions, guards, pack animals and pets and without whom it would have been difficult or impossible to colonise the area.Abstract Large canids (wolves, dogs, and coyote) and people form a close relationship in northern (subarctic and arctic) socioecological systems. Here, we document the antiquity of this bond and the multiple ways it manifested in interior Alaska, a region key to understanding the peopling of the Americas and early northern lifeways. We compile original and existing genomic, isotopic, and osteological canid data from archaeological, paleontological, and modern sites. Results show that in contrast to canids recovered in non-anthropic contexts, canids recovered in association with human occupations are markedly diverse. They include multiple species and intraspecific lineages, morphological variation, and diets ranging from terrestrial to marine. This variation is expressed along both geographic and temporal gradients, starting in the terminal Pleistocene with canids showing high marine dietary estimates. This paper provides evidence of the multiple ecological relationships between canids and people in the north—from predation, probable commensalism, and taming, to domestication—and of their early onset.
INTRODUCTION
Interactions with large canids (Canis spp.; including wolf C. lupus, dog C. familiaris, and coyote C. latrans) form a key aspect of human life in Beringia and more generally in the Subarctic/Arctic. Most visible today is the mutualistic relationship between people and domestic dogs. When and how this relationship developed remains unknown. Beyond domestication, human-canid relationships have likely been iterative, complex, and multifaceted since the Late Pleistocene and encompassed ecological interactions as diverse as competition, predation, and symbiosis.
Large canids have been an integral part of northern ecosystems since at least the Late Pleistocene. Wolves were a major component of the glacial steppe and competed with people and other predators for access to resources (1–3). Their dietary flexibility enabled wolves to adapt to environmental change and survive the Pleistocene-Holocene faunal turnover, with limited extinction of some more specialized populations [e.g., C. lupus var. Beringia; (4, 5)]. Coyotes likewise successfully adapted to Holocene environments in temperate North America (6, 7) and have recently expanded into the Subarctic following anthropogenic environmental change (8).
Symbiotic relationships between people and large canids have occurred in the form of commensalism, taming, and/or selective breeding. Some or all of those eventually led to the domestication of dogs (9–12). The archaeological recognition of these phenomena remains unclear as each may have manifested by different anatomic, genetic, and/or dietary changes (13–17), as well as differential mortuary treatment (18, 19).
Dogs were arguably domesticated during the terminal Pleistocene [~19 to 12 calibrated thousand years before the present (cal kyr B.P.)] in Eurasia (20–25). They may have accompanied initial human dispersal into Beringia and the Americas and may also have contributed to anthropogenic megafauna extinction (26, 27). Although canid remains in Pleistocene sites are not uncommon in Beringia (19, 28–31), evidence for domestication at that time remains mostly incidental or contextual. The earliest firm (anatomical and genetic), albeit indirect, evidence for dogs in Beringia dates no later than ~9.9 cal kyr B.P., by which time individuals of the American dog lineage were present in temperate North America (18, 22, 32). Direct evidence in Beringia appears ~9.0 cal kyr B.P. (33, 34).
Evidence for dogs remains sparse or absent until the Late Holocene when they had become an integral part of life in the North (35) and, more specifically, in interior Alaska as hunting and transportation aids (36–38). In recent times, the Dene people of interior Alaska have also shared similar habitats with wolves (39) but generally respected and avoided both wolves and coyotes as hunting competitors and exerted limited predation on them (40–45).
Here, we focus on human-canid relationships in interior Alaska since initial settlement in the terminal Pleistocene (46) and through the Holocene, building a comprehensive database of archaeological and comparative paleontological and modern canid specimens. Interior Alaska is a key region of Beringia and, because of its dense concentration of early archaeological sites with well-preserved faunal assemblages, has been important in developing models of initial human settlement (47–50). We reconstruct the diets of large canids from paleontological, archaeological, and modern locales in the region and show how those diets expanded starting in the terminal Pleistocene. This expansion was probably related to human-canid symbiotic relationships in interior Alaska, including dog domestication. Eventually, those led to the mutualistic human-dog relationship characteristic of subarctic socioecological systems.Fig. 1. Map of interior Alaska and location of specimens.
1: Discovery Ck.; 2: Kwigiumpainukamiut; 3: McGrath (Tochak); 4: Lake Minchumina area (Foraker R., North Fork Kuskokwim R.); 5: Holy Cross; 6: Shageluk; 7: Ruby; 8: Tanana; 9: Goldstream; 10: Eagle (Fort Egbert); 11: Fortymile area (Liberty Ck., Ketchumstuk Ck., and Joseph Ck.); 12: Livengood area; 13: Manley Hot Springs; 14: Minto Lakes; 15: Fairbanks area (Cleary Ck., Cripple Ck., Engineer Ck., Ester Ck., Fairbanks Ck., Gilmore, Gold Hill, and Goldstream); 16: Shaw Ck. area (Swan Point, Broken Mammoth, Carpenter Quarry, Quartz Lake, and Clear Ck.); 17: Healy Lake area (Hollembaek’s Hill and Volkmar R.); 18: Upper Healy R.; 19: Little Beaver Ck.; 20: Glennallen (Ringling).
Fig. 2. Selected terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene specimens (C. lupus/familiaris).
Carpenter Quarry: adult maxilla/premaxilla (A). Hollembaek’s Hill: adult mandible (B) and tibia (C). Swan Point: adult tibia (D). Hollembaek’s Hill: adult pisiform (E); perinate tibia (F), femur (G), and dp3 (H).François Lanoë et al.
Late Pleistocene onset of mutualistic human/canid (Canis spp.) relationships in subarctic Alaska.
Sci. Adv. 10, eads1335 (2024). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.ads1335
Copyright: © 2024 The authors.
Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science. Open access.
Reprinted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0)
And this all happened thousands of years before the year in which the authors of Genesis set their their parochial imaginitive origin myths.
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