The dogs lost in the tide of time

 The mysterious Polynesian dogs and their unknowns

    Dogs have long been man's inseparable companions, accompanying us on our journey to the most distant corners of the Earth, from the times when our species was a hunter until the splendor of civilizations, from the time of the pharaohs, the great wars, the great trips around the world, etc., dogs have played a fundamental role at our side, from work companions, hunting, fishing, herding, war or as pets, they have always been there by our side.

But even so, there are unknowns in the history of our furry companions, among them we have the enigmatic dogs of the Polynesian Islands which are a complete enigma, due to their nature, characteristics and above all the fact that we did not know them because they became extinct, Leaving many things about them in a halo of mystery, before continuing I hope you support, it would help me a lot to create more content, without further ado, let's get started.

                  Tahitian Dog

 The Tahitian dog, known as the ʻŪrī Mā'ohi in the Tahitian language, was a breed of dog that is said to live on the island of Tahiti, in French Polynesia, arriving alongside the migrations of the original Polynesians, being a crucial complement to Tahitian culture.

They were described as having a small or medium build, resembling terriers or daschunds in size, their coats were generally brown, white or rust yellow with smooth hairs, they had wide heads, small eyes, long backs, pointed snouts and upright ears, they were described as lazy, timid and not ferocious, but with a notorious bad disposition, they rarely barked, but sometimes howled.

Like the poi I already talked about, this dog was also fed with plants and was an essential delicacy of traditional Tahitian society; Its meat was included in Tahitian cuisine and other parts of the dog were used to make tools and ornamental clothing, Likewise, their teeth were used as hooks, it is known that these were raised with pigs and served during festivals as a delicacy, especially in the celebrations of the great Tahitian chiefs.

European explorers were the first outsiders to observe and record its existence, and it served early explorers, including the famous Captain James Cook, But in the end it suffered the same fate as its masters, the Tahitian dog became extinct in the Tahitian Society Islands some time after the arrival of European settlers due to the introduction and mixing with European dog breeds, rabies infections and the reduction in their breeding, which in itself was not very abundant, Because they used to sacrifice most of the puppies at an early age, there is no record of their actual measurements and appearance, so everything about this breed is a mystery.

Marquesan dog

  Not far from there, some time before the existence of the Marquesan dog, an extinct breed of dog, native to the Marquesan Islands.

Like other strains of Polynesian dogs, the ancestors of the Polynesians introduced it to the Marquesas during their migrations, serving as tribal totems and religious symbols as recorded by steles and paintings, placed due to their rarity, They were revered by the Marquesans and were closely associated with high chiefs and priestly classes, sometimes consumed as meat, although less frequently than in other parts of the Pacific due to its scarcity, little is known about the Marquesan Dog but it is believed that they were introduced to the Marquesas Islands by the original Polynesian settlers along with domesticated chickens, pigs and the Polynesian rat.

Many petroglyphs and carved images of dogs were found near religious centers and mainly residential areas, indicating their revered status and importance in culture, A study by American archaeologist Sidsel N. Millerstrom noted that most dog petroglyphs have been found in the ʻAʻakapa, Haʻatuatua and Hatiheu valleys on the northern coast of Nuku Hiva, the meʻae Vaikivi on Ua Huka and the meʻae Iʻipona and Eiaone Valle on Hiva Oa. Their regional distributions possibly reflected the role of dogs as symbols of loyalty and tribal/clan identity on the islands. They were totemanimals associated with the Nakiʻi tribe, which added to the tusk Burials and apparently ceremonial earrings made from dogs' teeth make everything clear.

The dog is believed to have become extinct before the arrival of Spanish explorers in 1595, although some may have survived beyond this point, European accounts were never written about them. They were thought to be quite rare and "never numerous on the islands", Even before the arrival of the Europeans, it is not known exactly what they looked like, due to the exaggeration and strangeness of their portraits, so the existence of this breed is practically a mystery in itself, until something more can be found about it.

Tuamoutuan dog 

   It is a Polynesian dog, introduced in Tuamotus, described as a large dog with thick fur, it was used to make textiles with its fur.

The hair of these, especially the long hairs of the tail, was used to decorate the fringes of the taumi, a traditional chest ornament, often called a ruff, worn by priests and high chiefs.

The Tuamotuan breed was described as similar to their Tahitian counterparts, only described as distinguishable by their longer hair, wool type and their larger size, historian Margaret Titcomb noted that the Tuamotuan varieties may not have been a separate race that developed in isolation, arguing that the Tuamotu people could have eaten their short-haired varieties and kept their longer-haired dogs for export to the Society Islands, all this for textile purposes, the cause and time of its extinction are unknown, but surely with the textile advances of colonization it disappeared.

Poi hawaiano

   In Hawaii, for its part, there was the Hawaiian poi, even more mysterious. 

This was a race that is said to have inhabited the Hawaiian Islands before the arrival of European settlers. The Poi was very similar in appearance and temperament to other breeds said to have inhabited the islands of Polynesia, it was small in size, with short legs and a relatively long body, the breed possessed a very distinctive flattened head, which is believed to have been the result of its diet, since unlike any other dog this was a herbivore and was fed with a dish of the same name, made of roots, plants and nuts, it is said that Hawaiian families had these little ones canines for several reasons, the most important being that they were considered spiritual protectors of the home, and especially for children.

It is believed that it became extinct due to various changes in the environment and the famines that hit Hawaii, taking the final blow when the Europeans arrived and mixed with the native dogs, in addition to the fact that no surviving work of art or photograph of Hawaiian history is authentically attributed as poi dogs which adds to the mystery, Western artists often infused characteristics euroamericanas in his 18th century depictions of Polynesian dogs and, in the 19th century, the dogs depicted were of foreign breeds, The lack of details has led historians to guess which works may be realistic depictions of the race based on physical characteristics, leaving everything in an air of mystery.

 

As a curiosity, there was a failed program that attempted to resurrect the breed in 1967, but this was suspended and later abandoned later for unknown reasons.

The Maori Kuri

   It was a strange type of dog, which lived with the Maori people and is believed to have been introduced to New Zealand by the Maori during their migrations from eastern Polynesia sometime between the 9th and 14th centuries. 

According to the writer, it was a small, low-lying animal with an unpleasant appearance, although it had a poor sense of smell. It is known that it was sometimes used for hunting nocturnal and terrestrial birds of New Zealand such as the kiwi or kakapo and also ducks during the laying season, according to French traveler Jules Crozet, that was in the Bay of Islands in June 1772, the dogs looked like a kind of domesticated fox, white or black in color, with very low legs, raised ears, thick tail, long hair, large snout, but more pointed than that of the fox, and they made the same sound: they do not bark like our dogs, according to Frederick Hutton the Kurī was a clumsy animal, Lazy and timid in temperament, it is believed that Maori women treated him as a pet.

This was used by the Maori as a source of food, since its meat was considered a delicacy or to make Kahu kurī (dog skin cloaks) or for some ornaments, Their teeth were used as earrings, also having an important place in Maori war tradition and rituals.

Although little is known about their distribution, they appear to have never been especially abundant and became extinct in New Zealand for some time after the arrival of European settlers, the reason was their crossing with European breeds and the mass killing of wild dogs by the settlers to protect their livestock, so the kuri had been practically exterminated at the end of the 19th century, leaving few specimens preserved in museums.

Enigma within an enigma

    The reality is that these dogs have been a fairly well-worn and difficult mystery to solve, some considering that these dogs come from other canids that were domesticated and not especially from the wolf, although due to DNA analysis of the Kuri it is also theorized that its origin could have come from Asia, although attempts have also been made to give them their own classification, being canis pacificus, although this remains in doubt.

We have already talked about Polynesian dogs, and their strange genetic and taxonomic situation, but the mystery and strange things about it do not end there.

Well, it turns out that perhaps these went further than what is thought, since it is known that Islands such as Mangareva and Tokelau had populations of dogs in their ancient settlements which possibly became extinct before the arrival of Europeans, despite being practically absent in Western Polynesia (Samoa and Tonga), The natives reacted positively to the dogs brought by the Europeans, as if they had already seen them, so it is thought that perhaps there were dogs there.

It is not known for sure whether the Rapanui and the Moriori also had dogs, so this is still something unverifiable and remains a hypothesis.

In short, this is a mystery that needs to be studied and that is still in open debate despite the passing of the years, Hopefully one day all these enigmas will be clarified and we can know the truth behind these mysterious dogs.

[Reading links]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahitian_Dog

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquesan_Dog#:~:text=The%20Marquesan%20Dog%20or%20Marquesas,Polynesian%20people%20during%20their%20migrations.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kur%C4%AB

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian_Dog

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Poi_Dog