biostudies-literatureLin ATCancer Research UKEuropean Research CouncilVersus ArthritisMedical Research CouncilWellcome Trust1303-1308https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7615573biostudies-literatureUnknown382(6676)Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.Science (New York, N.Y.)The history of Coast Salish "woolly dogs" revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge.PMC7615573852558CC2109217223FC001595217223/Z/19/ZLiu HLBergstrom AGrimes VCarr KDalen LOstrander EACharlton SHammond-Kaarremaa LPerri APavel SSMFrance CAMCarmagnini AHawkins MTRWyss SSAFeuerborn TRHartt JAninta SGSkoglund PGopalakrishnan SLin ATSacks BNSinding MSMcKechnie IStantis CStanton DWGKistler LSparrow DQKavich GHarris AFrantz LAFLarson GArmstrong CGPavel MfalseThe history of Coast Salish "woolly dogs" revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge.Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Dec2025-04-21T15:50:06.511Z2025-02-19T01:20:58.105ZS-EPMC76155733809629210.1126/science.adi6549