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!

[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.

[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.