IS THERE A DOG IN THE HOUSE: THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PREHISTORIC DOMESTICATED DOGS IN THE MID FRASER RIVER REGION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA David F. Crellin B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1989 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Archaeology @ David F. Crellin 1994 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December 9 1994 All rights reserved. This work may not be ' reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME David Frederick Crellin DEGREE MA TfnE Is There a Dog in the House: The Cultural Significance of Prehistoric Domesticated Dogs in the Mid Fraser River Region of British Columbia EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Chair Dr. Jack Nance ,Dr. Brian Hayden 'L enior Supervisor Archaeology onathan Driver ciate Professor Dr. 'Arnoud Stryd ' Archaeological and Anthropological Consultant and President ARCAS Consulting Archaeologists Ltd. Date Approved: Dec. 8,1994 PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of ThesisIDissertation: Is There a Dog in the House: The Cultural Significance of Prehistoric Domesticated Dogs in the Mid Fraser River Region of British Columbia David Frederick Crelli n , Name Dec. 8,1994 Date ABSTRACT In 1988 and again in 1989 the skeletal remains of domestic dog (Canis familiaris) were uncovered at a pre- historic winter village site near Pavilion B.C. This thesis examines ethnographic, archaeological, and osteo- logical data in an effort to ascertain the probable cul tural significance of the canid deposits. In all, the remains of 15 dogs were recovered from the site. This is the largest number of individuals ever recovered on the B.C. Plateau. The partial remains of at least 11 of these individuals were recovered from the bottom of 2 storage pits located within the floor area of one of the largest housepits. Certain aspects of the ethnographic record for the area are contradictory, but it would appear that some dogs were held in higher status than others. Analysis of the archaeological record points to special treatment of some of the individuals by the past human inhabitants. It would appear that a ritual of some kind may have taken place which involved the leaving of a dog carcass on the floor of the pithouse upon the abandonment of the dwelling. Of special interest was the recovery of a complete articulated individual whose skeletal abnormalities indi- cated thdt the animal was probably exploited as a beast of burden or pack dog. There is the possibility that at least one other individual may have also served in this capaci- iii 'f-Y The representation of a possible ritual sacrifice and the observation that certain individuals performed important economic tasks indicates that these dogs were an integral component within the prehistoric society that inhabited the site. This thesis is dedicated to the spirit of "COYOTE" The Trickster Creator ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my senior supervisor Dr. Brian Hayden for allowing me to study the dog assemblages recovered from the Keatley Creek site and also for his patience in reviewing the many drafts of this thesis that passed over his desk. I would also like to sincerely thank my second supervisor Dr. Jon Driver for his guidance and useful comments during the preparation of this thesis. Appreciation is owed to Dr. Arnoud Stryd for acting as my external examiner for my thesis defense. Thanks is also given to Professor Phil Hobler for his advise con cerning the photographing of the bone elements illustrated in this thesis. Gratitude is owed Dr. Roy Carlson for his endeavors in obtaining funding for me in the early part of my graduate studies and also to Dr. Mark Skinner for his earlier guidance in directed reading courses that enabled me to identify relevant pathologies observed on some of the dog bones. Warm thanks is given to Ingrid Nystrom and Linda Bannister for their kind help whenever I needed assistance from the general office, and to Barb Winter for her impor- tant tiplconcerning working dogs in the north. A debt of gratitude and appreciation is also owed Dr. Howard Savage of the University of Toronto for taking time out to commu- nicate with me about this subject. To my parents Gwen and Sid, and my Aunt Daisy, I owe a debt of'gratitude and appreciation that cannot be meas- ured, bless you all for believing in me. To my soul-mates Mike Rousseau, George Kauffman, and Nazmin Bhatia, llthank youw does not even come close to what I feel and owe these generous and compassionate people. The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the constant support, sometimes finan- cially, of close friends. I would like to give heart felt thanks to Brian Wastenage anh Deborah Whitman, Vince and Ruth Lees, Aron Carlson, Adele Saunders, Paul Horton, Sharon Lim, Rob Shortland, Rob Zanatta, Kelly Bush, A1 McMillan, Eldin Yellowhorn and Ruth Mabbutt. A special thanks to Andrew Barton and John Breffitt for their com- puter wizardry, and the time spent helping make the tables and figures of this thesis become a reality. To the most important person of all I would like to thank, with all my heart and soul, my loving and beautiful wife Tina who sacrificed many of her own needs and wants so that I could accomplish this monumental goal. Table of Contents Approval ................................ii Abstract ...............................iii Dedication ................................ v Acknowledgements ........................v i Table of Contents ......................viii List of Tables .......................xii List of Figures ........................xii chapter 1: Introduction ............................1 Chapter 2: The Ethnographic Record of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia ..............5 The Plateau Dogs ..........................13 Hunting ................................ 14 Clothing .................................. 20 Protection and Companionship ...........21 J Transportation ..........................22 The Dog as a Food Resource ...............25 Plateau Social Organization ..............29 Burial Practices and Dog Sacrifices ......33 Trade and Its Influence ..................36 \i; Festivals and Ritual .....................39 L The Dog Dance Ceremony ....................40 Shuswap Myths .............................42 /' V~ Summary and Discussion ...................45 Chapter 3: Domestic Dogs in Other Cultures ........50 viii The Bella Coola Connection ................ 50 The Northwest Coast dog .................51 The Dog Eating Ceremony of the Northwest Coast .....................................56 Athapaskan Dogs .........................59 Northern Plains Influence .................64 The Columbia River region ................74 The Northeast. ............................75 Siberian Dogs ............................81 Summary and Discussion ....................84 Archaeological Implications ...............91 Chapter 4: Canid Remains the Archaeological Record ................................... 95 The Southwest .............................99 *fin The Great Piains .........................NU The Northeast ...........................103 The Columbia River .......................106 The Arctic ............................ 108 The Northwest Coast ......................113 Summary ..................................116 ./The Southern Plateau of British Columbia .................................117 I.Canid Remains ............................ 133 -i summary ..................................137 Chapter 5: The Keatley Creek Village Site (EeRl-7)................................. 140 The Archaeological Record ................142 Housepit No.109 ..........................146 Housepit No.110 ..........................148 Housepit No.3 ............................149 Housepit No.7 ............................ 152 Summary ..................................157 The Canid Assemblages .................... 158 Summary and Discussion ..................167 Chapter 6: Osteological Analysis of the Canid Remains . Introduction .............................172 HP . 3 Dog Remains ........................180 HP.109 Dog Remains .......................182 HP.l10 Dog Remains .......................184 Housepit 7 Pit Feature 88-P31 Dog No.1 ...187 Dog No.2 .................................199 Dog No.3 .................................202 Dog No.4 .................................204 Dog No.5 .................................206 Miscellaneous Remains ....................207 Summary of Pit Feature 88-P31 ............208 Pit Feature 89-P5 ........................ 211 Dog No.1 .................................212 Dog No.2 .................................213 Dog No.3 .................................215 Dog No.4 .................................216 Dog N0.5 .................................217 Articulated Post Cranial Remains .........219 Miscellaneous Remains ....................228 Summary of Pit