Abstract
In this article I propose the notion of dog-craft and explore the expansion of the capital markets in the circumpolar North. Through the fur trade and mineral extractions, indigenous people incorporated and improvised the use of dog teams for trapping, fishing, hunting, and gathering. This article focuses on the Gwich’in people in the northwestern corner of Canada. I elaborate on the history of crafts related to dogs as well as to the dogs themselves. In most recent times, following the disappearance of a particular type of dog – the working dog – these crafts have vanished for the greater part.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 387-419 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Journal | Hunter-Gatherer Research |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2015 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsI want to acknowledge Sharon Snowshoe, Ingrid Kritsch, Alestine Andre,
and William George Firth of the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute;
Kristi Benson, Robert Wishart, Thomas Andrews, David G Anderson, Dmitry
Arzyutov, Valeria Lembo, and Pat McCormack for discussions; Simona Trozzi
for the drawing; and Arlyn Charlie for his assistance getting consent forms
from the Elders mentioned in this article. I also thank Alestine Andre, Ingrid
Kritsch, and an anonymous reviewer for insightful comments. I say hai’ choo
to Jane Charlie, Thomas and Eileen Koe, Peter Francis, and the many other
Gwich’in who have been teaching me throughout all these years. This article is
dedicated to my late father Allart Loovers (1947–2013). This article is based on
research funded by the ERC Advanced Grant Arctic Domus.
Keywords
- Gwich'in
- dogs
- Hudson's Bay Company fur trade
- history