Defining
the Inuit Dog
Canis familiaris borealis
by Sue Hamilton
Canis familiaris borealis
by Sue Hamilton
© December 2011, The
Fan Hitch, all rights reserved
revised: December 2020
revised: December 2020
A.
The
Inuit Dog’s place in the natural world
B. The Inuit Dog is not a wolf!
C. Dangerous confusion
B. The Inuit Dog is not a wolf!
C. Dangerous confusion
A. The Name Controversy
B. Defining 'Purity'
C. Mistaken Identity: Promoting a breed vs. avoiding
extinction
D. The Belyaev Experiment
E. Summary
B. Defining 'Purity'
C. Mistaken Identity: Promoting a breed vs. avoiding
extinction
D. The Belyaev Experiment
E. Summary
A. Ancient
history
B. Recent history: The Inuit Dog in service to nations
B. Recent history: The Inuit Dog in service to nations
1. Exploration
2. War
3. Sovereignty
2. War
3. Sovereignty
C.
Population
decline
A. In the North
B. Below the tree line
B. Below the tree line
A.
Inherited
diseases
B. Disease prevention and access to veterinary services
B. Disease prevention and access to veterinary services
A.
Appearance
B. Behavior
C. Performance
D. The big picture
VII. The Inuit Dog in
Scientific Research, Films andB. Behavior
C. Performance
D. The big picture
in Print
VIII. Acknowledgements
Appendix 1: Partial list of scientific publications about
the Inuit Dog
Appendix 2: Selected (alphabetical) list of other resources
with a focus on Inuit Dogs
Appendix 3: A small sampling of other resources of
interest
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Editor-in-Chief: Sue Hamilton
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The Fan Hitch,
Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog, is published
four times a year. It is available at no
cost online at: https://thefanhitch.org.
The Fan Hitch welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.
Contents of The Fan Hitch are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut 06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org
This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.
The Fan Hitch welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.
Contents of The Fan Hitch are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut 06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org
This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.
A physiology experiment in progress. Scientist
working and dog relaxing at the same time!
Photo: J.M.Starck
VII. The Inuit Dog
in Scientific Research, Films and in Print
Filming Dogs That Changed the World in Clyde River, Nunavut
Photo: courtesy Corinna Faith, 2006
Inuit Dogs have
also been subject matter for filmmakers. The National Film Board of
Canada's collection includes archival material
on Inuit life and much of it features Inuit Dogs. Arctic Dog Team
(1949), Tuktu and
His Eskimo Dogs (1966), Qimmiq: Canada's
Arctic Dog (1981) are but a few which
contain footage of these aboriginal dogs in their
native habitat. Inuit filmmakers Igloolik Isuma
Productions created award-winning films such as Atanarjuat
which included scenes of traditional dog team
travel. Episode I of their thirteen part series, Nunavut: Our Land,
is titled “Qimuksik (Dog Team)” and many other
segments of the series include scenes of traditional
Inuit Dog use. Dog
of the Midnight Sun (originally produced by
Summerhill Entertainment of Toronto, 2004) is
another. The Last
Husky (Aurora Films, 1993) describes the
removal of the last of the Antarctic dog teams as a
result of the implementation of the Antarctic Treaty
banning non-indigenous (except humans) species from
the continent. Two documentaries, although not
specifically about or built around Inuit Dogs, still
do a very credible job placing it in a proper
context amongst the world of canids. A Dog's Life
(Discovery Communications, 2000) positions this
aboriginal yet domestic dog in the more natural
world of wild canids with respect to toughness and
survivability qualities – untainted unlike more
cultured formerly working breeds - in a harsh
environment. The Inuit Dog was one of the chosen few
represented in Dogs
That Changed the World (May, 2007 WNET,
U.S. Public Television, series Nature),
selected to illustrate the absolutely essential role
it played in the success of a culture that for
millennia survived in a very hostile environment.
Contributions Inuit have given to the world would
not have been possible without that partnership with
their dog. This documentary also points out that it
doesn't take too many generations of inattentive
breeding to destroy the original working character
of any breed. Return
of the Qimutsiit (Chinook Communications
Inc., 2006), Qimmiit:
A Clash of Two Truths (Piksuk Media, 2010)
and Nunavut Quest
(Piksuk Media, 2011) are productions rich with
details of the traditional use of Inuit Dogs in the
past as well as hopes for the future. They are
significant because they are presented from the
Inuit perspective.
Others are: Inuk,
Okpik’s
Dream and One
Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk Comprehensive
books
about Inuit society, culture, traditions and
history – and there are many – include
descriptives of Inuit Dogs and their use. These
volumes vary in content and accuracy, for no
matter what their fields of interest
(exploration, missionary work, fur trading), the
points of view of non-aboriginal authors who may
not be fully immersed within Inuit society don't
always understand or correctly interpret within
an aboriginal context what is observed. It is
good to have knowledge of the authors'
backgrounds when reading what non-Inuit write.
There are books about polar exploration and eco-adventure travel powered by dog team from the 19th century onward which include the behavior and work of the dogs. Not all these draught animals were traditional Inuit Dogs (Ernest Shackleton and Adm. Richard Byrd, USN for example).
There is a smaller handful of books written around the use of the Inuit Dog and most, but not all, of these are authored by the brave pioneers of the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration who have intimate knowledge of their subject matter.
More recently published, The Canadian Inuit Dog: Icon of Canada’s North and QIMMEQ – The Greenland Sled Dog are devoted to the Inuit Sled Dog.
There are books about polar exploration and eco-adventure travel powered by dog team from the 19th century onward which include the behavior and work of the dogs. Not all these draught animals were traditional Inuit Dogs (Ernest Shackleton and Adm. Richard Byrd, USN for example).
There is a smaller handful of books written around the use of the Inuit Dog and most, but not all, of these are authored by the brave pioneers of the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration who have intimate knowledge of their subject matter.
More recently published, The Canadian Inuit Dog: Icon of Canada’s North and QIMMEQ – The Greenland Sled Dog are devoted to the Inuit Sled Dog.
For a list of
scientific publications, see Appendix 1: List of
scientific papers and other publications about the
Inuit Dog
For a list of selected books and films see Appendix 2: Selected list of other resources with a focus on Inuit Dogs
For a list of selected books and films see Appendix 2: Selected list of other resources with a focus on Inuit Dogs