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A History of Dogs in the Early Americas Paperback – October 11, 1998

by Marion Schwartz (Author)

4.6 18 ratings

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For more than 12,000 years the dog has coexisted with humans in the Americas, following pathways much different from those of dogs in Europe and Asia. New World dogs have been viewed as sacred and profane, as deities, as eaters of excrement, and as valued food. This entertaining and enlightening book examines the fluctuating status of dogs in Native America from prehistory to the present.

Drawing on chronicles, ethnographies, archaeological reports, myths, biology, and a rich array of visual materials, Marion Schwartz investigates views about dogs in a wide range of native societies in North and South America. She discusses the early domestication of the dog and looks at how hunting and gathering peoples relied on dogs to help with the hunt and to transport food and goods. She provides details about the eating of dogs for ritual purposes or as a dietary staple. She describes how dogs were associated with the afterlife, where they functioned as guides or guards, and how dogs were buried in tombs or were sacrificed to the gods in many cultures. She examines pre-Columbian art to see how the dog was portrayed and the various meanings attributed to it. The book concludes with a description of the fierce war dogs brought by the Spanish to wreak havoc among the Indians―dogs unlike any the New World had ever seen―and how traditional societies reinvented their relationship with dogs after the arrival of the Europeans.

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From the Back Cover

Drawing on chronicles, ethnographies, archaeological reports, myths, biology, and a rich array of visual materials, Marion Schwartz investigates views about dogs in a wide range of native societies in North and South America. She discusses the early domestication of the dog and looks at how hunting and gathering peoples relied on dogs to help with the hunt and to transport food and goods. She provides details about the eating of dogs for ritual purposes or as a dietary staple. She describes how dogs were associated with the afterlife, where they functioned as guides or guards, and how dogs were buried in tombs or were sacrificed to the gods in many cultures. She examines pre-Columbian art to see how the dog was portrayed and the various meanings attributed to it. The book concludes with a description of the fierce war dogs brought by the Spanish to wreak havoc among the Indians - dogs unlike any the New World had ever seen - and how traditional societies reinvetented their relationship with dogs after the arrival of the Europeans.

About the Author

Marion Schwartz is a research assistant in the department of anthropology at Yale University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (October 11, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300075197
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300075199
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.21 x 6.11 x 0.61 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,634,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,841 in Biology of Wildlife
- #2,383 in General Anthropology
- #5,514 in Native American History (Books)

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4.6 18 ratings

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Darla

"reaffirmations of the antiquity of this female-canid bond"

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2014

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While I am a life-long dog-lover (trained, showed, competed with as well as devoted caregiver to animal companions), I was led to this book through a current exploration into dogs of Americas and, specifically, into the prehistory and history of dogs in the Southwest (Arizona and Mexico) while seeking possible light to be shed on the distant origins of the Chihuahua.

I found this book fabulous! I particularly enjoyed that the author included strong support (stories and images) towards the woman-dog relationship. I thought the writing was an easy access for the lay person (which I am) compared to some texts geared more towards the academic reader.

The author admits in her preface that she was not a "dog person" when her research began and yet, at the end she states "Now, of course, I am becoming a dog person." I think this candid approach is reflected in the book and revealed how charming dogs can be even when one is simply researching their history!

6 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Used?

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2023

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Wanted to purchase for awhile. Looks like it has been around for a while

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Verified

Great book for the historian

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019

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Eventhough not pleasant, the consumption of dogs is part of our history, not only by Native Americans, but by cultures all over the world. This book pairs excellently with Elizabeth Thurston book. The author also mentions a lot of folklore which can get a bit boring for some people but that is one of the many ways the dog was involved in human history.

One person found this helpful

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Shoop

Spectacular!

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2016

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This book is a fantastic read. It's relatively quick as well, I got it because it was cited in Nerissa Russell's "Social Zooarchaeology" and I'm so glad that I did. It covers a good spectrum of the history of dogs in the Americas, including burials, morphology, and mythology. I will be reading it again.

2 people found this helpful

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Wm. Hovey Smith

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018

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Very much liked the product. Enjoyed the historical information on early dogs in the Americas.

One person found this helpful

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sylvia

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018

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Not enough on Native American dogs from the late 1700's on.

One person found this helpful

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Sahara, Yalus, Lukita

We prefer edible anthropologists.

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 1998

This is another boonie dog book review by Wolfie and Kansas. "A History of Dogs in the Early Americas" is an anthropological survey by Marion Schwartz, a research assistant at Yale. Despite numerous illustrations, this book is written more for academics than for dog lovers. One chapter, entitled "The Edible Dog", is particularly frightening.
Other portions of this book, such as the sections noting the key roles played by dogs in creation myths, are inspirational. On the whole, though, the sections on dogs as cuisine and dogs as ritual sacrifices leave us with the perhaps politically incorrect impression that, puppy mills and leash laws notwithstanding, the Conquest did more good than harm for caninekind.

9 people found this helpful

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M. Jones

A history of dogs in the early Americas

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

As a historian of all things canine this book is a useful insight into the early dogs of the Americas [ASIN:0300075197 A History of Dogs in the Early Americas]]

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