Harris, Alison, Feuerborn, Tatiana, Sinding, Mikkel-Holger et al. (11 more authors) (2020) Archives of human-dog relationships: Genetic and stable isotope analysis of Arctic fur clothing. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 101200. ISSN 0278-4165
Abstract
Among Indigenous populations of the Circumpolar North, domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) were social actors aiding in traction and subsistence activities. Less commonly, dogs fulfilled a fur-bearing role in both the North American and Siberian Arctic. Examples of garments featuring dog skins were collected during the 19th-20th centuries and are now curated by the National Museum of Denmark. We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of macroscopically identified dog skin garments. We conducted stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis of the dog furs and of fur samples from contemporaneous pelts of Arctic (C. lupus arctos) and grey (C. lupus) wolves. Despite the presence of biocides used to protect the fur clothing during storage, we extracted well-preserved DNA using a minimally-invasive sampling protocol. Unexpectedly, the mtDNA genomes of one-third of the samples were consistent with wild taxa, rather than domestic dogs. The strong marine component in the diets of North American dogs distinguished them from Greenland and Canadian wolves, but Siberian dogs consumed diets that were isotopically similar to wild species. We found that dog provisioning practices were variable across the Arctic, but in all cases, involved considerable human labor.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 The Authors. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EUROPEAN COMMISSION 676154 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2020 14:40 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 16:41 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101200 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101200 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163955 |
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