The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog

by Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa

The pelt of a dog named “Mutton” languished in a drawer at the Smithsonian for 150 years until it was discovered, almost accidentally, by an amateur archivist. This book tells Mutton's story and explores what it can teach us about Coast Salish Woolly Dogs and their cultural significance.



Until now, there has been very little written about the enigmatic Coast Salish Woolly Dog, or sqʷəmey̓ in the Hul'q'umi'num language. According to Indigenous Oral Histories of the Pacific Northwest, this small dog was bred for thousands of years for its woolly fibres, which were woven into traditional blankets, robes and regalia. Although the dogs were carefully protected by Coast Salish peoples, by the 1900s, the Woolly Dog had become so rare it is now considered extinct.



Co-authored with weavers, Knowledge Keepers, and Elders, The Teachings of Mutton interweaves perspectives from Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō, Suquamish, Cowichan, Katzie, Snuneymuxw, and Skokomish cultures with narratives of science, post-contact history, and the lasting and devastating impacts of colonization. Binding it all together is Mutton's story—a tale of research, reawakening, and resurgence.

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun]

Review after author talk on Wednesday!

[Annabelle Handy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure! Through every medium of recorded history, from aDNA, Oral History, journal entries to family photos (and much more) Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa introduces us to Mutton and his entire breed, the now-extinct Coast Salish Woolly Dog. Truly no stone is left unturned, and the book is an exciting quest to put together the tricky puzzle of the breed.

Though a bit repetitive at times, overall a wonderful and highly informative book. Very excited to get to see the Museum of Vancouver exhibit on it!

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For thousands of years the Natives of the Pacific Northwest bred Woolly Dogs, a breed that died out in the late 19th or early 20th century as the Native culture was eradicated and the people displaced. Up until that time, the dog was a vital part of the culture, providing fur that could be woven (often with other fibers like mountain goat fur) to form blankets and other soft goods.

There are some reliable 19th century sketches of the dog and some early photographs of what may or may not be true Woolly Dogs. There is, however, only one known guaranteed pelt of a Woolly Dog, and it's in the Smithsonian.

This book details the known history of the Woolly Dog, leaning heavily into Native oral history as well as written records by early explorers. It was an early surveyor and collector, George Gibbs, who owned Mutton and donated his pelt to the Smithsonian after the dog died.

Recent DNA and hair examination of Mutton's pelt has provided vital information about the Woolly Dog: Not related to any contemporary breed; bred in genetic isolation for at least 2000 years and perhaps closer to 5000; and Mutton ate a diet heavy in corn early in his life but not later (which helped to determine his month of death).

The book is a contribution to the resurgence of interest in Native culture, incorporating Native knowledge with written European records to build a fuller understanding of the culture and practice of the Pacific Northwest's original occupants. There are still many questions about the Woolly Dog's role in Native life and when and how the breed finally went extinct, but the examination described in this book goes a long way to fill in the picture.

[elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

→ 3.75 stars (★★★.75)

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at the Burke Museum, after seeing the Woven in Wool exhibit. I didn't know about Mutton before I went, though I'd heard of the Wooly Dogs before. He was there, tucked into a small, quiet little room of his own, and I spent quite a bit of time there.
This book is a gorgeous little tribute to very special dog, and a very special dog breed, and the people who cared for and loved them. I'm very glad I got to see Mutton, and also very glad I picked this book up before I left.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coast Salish wooly dog is a lost piece of Coast Salish culture and livelihood. Specifically, the relationship that Coast Salish women had with wooly dogs was incredible to read about. The legacy of women and canines has excited for many 1000s of years. Incredibly insightful read.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather mysterious, the Coast Salish woolly dog exists only in fragments – in descriptions and illustrations from the colonial era, in a single pelt held at the Smithsonian named Mutton, in Coast Salish oral histories and blankets woven from their fur. This book seems like the most comprehensive, if not the newest, study of the woolly dog. It’s very intriguing and uncovers an important part of Northwest and Coast Salish history that is sensitively approached. The author’s exploration of Mutton’s provenance is deepened and contextualized by contributions from Coast Salish tribal members who share traditional knowledge and perspective. I really enjoyed the essay that questions the colonial framing of the animal as a dog at all, instead referring to them as “fur beings.” The author of this essay argues that calling them dogs ascribes a colonial interpretation to an animal deeply embedded in Coast Salish culture and minimizes the complex Indigenous relationship to the creature.

There is a lot about weaving technique and technology, and interesting digressions into woolly dog diets, diatomaceous earth (combined with dog and mountain goat wool), other Coast Salish dog breeds, a reconstruction of their appearance, and insight into what caused the dying out of the woolly dogs (colonialism).

The investigation into Mutton’s DNA was super fascinating and showed that he descended from a pre-colonial lineage that no longer appears to exist in North America. Mutton, and other woolly dogs, predated European dogs and his “kind goes back a minimum of 2,000 years, and more likely closer to 5,000 years, as a separate breed” (105). In other words, the Coast Salish woolly dog was a result of careful breeding for thousands of years and the “fur beings” were of high spiritual and practical importance. Their fur was literally woven into the fabric of Coast Salish life.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing information about the People of the Salish Sea.

[Debra Lumbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding history about the Coast Salish people and their Wooly dogs.