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Here’s a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the African breeds, including those newly recognized by AKC. Hall delves deeply into the history, characteristics, similarities and dissimilarities of breeds in the seven basic African dog types. Maps illustrate where the dogs originated.
AUTHOR’S BIO
Sian Hall was born in Kitwe Zambia. She obtained her BA (Hons) in Anthropology in English Literature at Rhodes University, and is presently a Ph.D candidate in Anthropology at the same university. Sian has had a life-long interest in the indigenous dogs of Africa, an interest which her family kept some of these little known breeds as pets. In 1990 she initiated a project aimed at researching and promoting the various popular articles and contributed to television programs on this topic.
Sian is also a writer having produced books on various topics. She is the owner of six Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
REVIEWS
“…an evocative and ground-breaking book celebrating Africa’s domesticated dogs…” (Jill Gowans, Africa Geographic)
“It is a big book and a big read, and worth every minute spent with it.” (Jan Buchanan, Dogs in Canada)
“Sian Hall provides a detailed examination of dog breeds that have historic connections to the African continent.” (Janice Kiler-Matznick; Director, The Primitive and Aboriginal Dog Society)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
SECTION ONE—PARIAHS
1. Drummers on the Fringes
2. Spellbinders of the Forest, The Basenji
3. Keepers of the Fold, Shepherds and Flock Guardians
4. In Napoleon’s Path, The Egyptian Armant
5. Small Wonder, The Aidi
6. The Lonely Shepherd, The Bedouin Shepherd
7. The Four-Footed Sabra, The Canaan Dog
SECTION TWO—INDIGENOUS SOUTHERN
AFRICAN DOGS
8. Living History
9. The Romance of the Zulu Sicha
10. Forsaken Providers, Dogs of the Xhosa-Speakers
11. When His Ship Comes In, The i-Twina
12. Redolent With the Memory of Spice, The i-Bakhu
13. Fading Flare, Dogs of the Khoi and Bushman
SECTION THREE—HOUNDS
14. On the Scent of the Hound, The Ancient Egyptian and Ethiopian Hounds
15. Tawny Hunter, The Rhodesian Ridgeback
SECTION FOUR—DESERT SIGHTHOUNDS
16. In the Paths of Man, The Ancient Egyptian Tesem
17. Ancient Legacy, Desert Greyhounds of the Sahara and Sahel
18. El Baraka, The Mysterious One, The Saluki
19. Child of the Wind, The Sloughi
20. The Light That May Fade, The Azawakh
SECTION FIVE—MEDITERRANEAN SIGHTHOUNDS
21. From the Tombs of the Kings to the Ships of Spice
22. Voyager of Time and Space, The Ibizan Hound
23. Astral Voyager, The Pharaoh Hound
24. Tapping To The Seismic Beat, The Cirneco D’ell Etna
25. Survivor of an Extinct Race, The Podenco Canario
26. Drifting to the Dark Side of the Moon, The Grande Podengo Portuguese
SECTION SIX—MASTIFFS
27. Gladiators of the Ancient World
28. Forsaken Hero, The Presa Canario
29. African Goliath, The Boerboel
SECTION SEVEN—PET DOGS
30. Those Ancient Mariners, The Bichon Family
31. A Diminutive Odyssey, The Maltese
32. Hot to Handle, The Bichon Frisé
33. Buccaneer of the High Seas, The Coton de Tulear
34. Jaunty Afrikaner, The Maltese Poodle
References
Index
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
Drummers on the Fringes
Pariah is derived from pariayan, or “drummer” in Tamil. It is a word usually applied to members of low caste in southern India, but it can also refer to a type of dog distinguished by a particular type of behavior and appearance, especially of a certain cranial type.
These little “drummers” are street urchins who live on the fringes of human society. For thousands of years they have moved silently on the edges of campfires, their shadows thrown huge and fantastic on the black wall of vegetation at the edges of settlements. They are the guttersnipes who knock over rattling cans in the dead of night in dripping and deserted city streets. They live without man’s protection, without his love, squabbling over scraps or some filthy morsel thrown from a toppled garbage bin. And in this wretched and miserable existence they survive and breed, filling an ecological niche throughout much of the world. Their range encompasses Africa, the eastern shores of the Atlantic, the southern parts of the Balkan Peninsula, the Caucasus, southern Asia, China, Japan, the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America, and until recently, Spain.
Pariahs are dogs of great antiquity. They were well-known in ancient Egypt and have been dug up from sites in Africa dating back to the Iron Age. Opinions differ concerning their origins with some believing that they were first domesticated for their meat, others that they were perhaps domesticated for their hunting prowess and for companionship, being eaten only when they were too old to be useful. For whatever the pariah was first domesticated it is certain that they have fulfilled a myriad of functions over the centuries. Being a multipurpose animal the pariah has not been heavily specialized but the true pariah remains a generalized type recognizable over much of the globe and over time. The dogs whose remains have been uncovered by archaeologists in ancient Egypt are basically the same as those found wherever there are people in Egypt today, and much the same as those that scavenge about rural African homesteads.
PARIAHS OF ANCIENT AND MODERN EGYPT
Thrown into stark contrast against the ancient wall murals depicting exquisite sighthounds, the Egyptian pariahs are insignificant looking being about the size of small Collies (around 22 inches or 55 cm) at the shoulder, and quite robust with broad heads. Their short ears are erect and pointed, although many young pariahs less than three to six months old have pendulous ears before their cartilage strengthens. Typical of the pariah in general, these dogs’ tails are long and bushy. Lemon and white is the usual color, although all lemon and chestnut occurs, occasionally tending to yellow or grey, while the legs and underbelly may be white. Black and tawny with white feet and tip to the tail are more rare.
In Egypt pariahs are used to guard the tents and livestock, yet they remain aloof and, even when invited to accompany their owners out and about, the pariah prefers to remain at the homestead. If they are brought up with livestock they turn out to be tremendous shepherds, and also excel at hunting, often being taken out to complement a couple of Saluki while hunting jackal, which they will eagerly tackle.
PARIAHS OF THE SAHARA AND SAHEL
Dogs similar to the Armenti guard livestock in the highlands of Ethiopia. These dogs can be quite savage, made especially so by being locked up in the dark for months at a time. They are the only dogs in Ethiopia and Eritrea, except for a few Sloughi close to the Red Sea coast. Described as quite primitive they have a lower brain weight, weighing 10-15% less than modern breeds of similar weight.
In East Africa, the pariah really resembles a curious little waif being generally small and compact with large erect ears and a pointed muzzle. Oddly, the tail is sickle-shaped with the tip almost always pointed to the right. The coat is coarse, and often yellow, brown, or sometimes black with tan markings over the eyes, on the legs and below the tail.
The West African pariahs are an odd bunch with wrinkled skin on their foreheads and slightly overshot jaws. Adding to the effect is their conically-shaped head, flat forehead and weakly pronounced stop. They are slender and a little taller than those found in East Africa. They also have prick-ears. Their coat is smooth and the usual yellow or fawn, with white patches, or they may also be all white.
CENTRAL AFRICAN
PARIAHS
Also known in Central Africa as Shenzi, meaning “wild,” or “undomesticated,” the pariah of the Congo Basin is almost always fawn, yellow, red or white. Occasionally it is variegated. The tail is usually carried close to the ground although it may be curled up over the back. Like the Basenji, New Guinea Singing Dog and certain other pariahs, these dogs have the curious characteristic of howling, not barking.
Small, straight-legged dogs are found among the Mangbettu and Azande in the eastern province of the Congo. These dogs have pointed muzzles and well-defined stops, long, prick-ears and, like Basenjis, tails that are curled above their backs. Their short, smooth coats are either red, or yellow with a white neck. Bongo dogs are somewhat different looking being larger with tails carried close to the ground and having the usual fawn color. They also have the distinctive ability to erect their dorsal hair at the slightest provocation.
All of these dogs, and others that are not valued for their meat, are most often neglected, but those whose chops are savored by their masters fatten them up like prime porkers. An exception to this general rule are the Batwa (pigmies). The dog is the only animal they have (the Ituri owning small fox-like yellow ones), and they tend to look after them relatively well.
ROLE OF THE PARIAH
Guardian, companion, hunter, flock and livestock herder, and even ritual object, the pariah has many uses to his African master. A certain clan among the BaGanda and BaHima of East Africa even go as far as revering the dog as a totem animal. Another take as a totem the dog bell that is worn around the dog’s neck to locate them in thick growth.
The Dan of Liberia are exceptional in that they train their dogs to guard huts in which their tiny infants sleep, while the parents are working out in the fields. In this way a very strong bond is formed between the child and the dog, and thus the dog becomes an important part of Dan society. In southern Africa the indigenous dog is associated with the ancestors in some groups, in others it is an ingredient in certain muthis (traditional medicines).
DOGS AS FOOD
Certain groups keep dogs specifically for food. In southern Cameroon, for instance, the BaKosi go so far as to specialize, keeping two types of dog: one for the hunt and the other for meat specifically intended for the warriors. The hunting dog is slender and measuring about 13 1/2 to 15 1/2 inches (35 to 40 cm) at the shoulder with a broad head, spoon-shaped ears and a straight or curled tail. The coat is short and smooth, yellow, brown, black, dark grey and nearly always variegated with white. The dog who finds himself on the BaKosi menu however, is much coarser and heavier, and the BaKosi, ever anxious for a good meal, castrate the males as this speeds up the fattening process. Castration of male dogs is typical of groups who use dogs for meat and the practice usually occurs in most parts of Western and Central Africa, especially in the Congo Basin and includes groups such as the Ekhoi, Yaunde, Banyangi, Babunda and Achewa.
It is not known whether the MaViti castrate their dogs, which are particularly attractive, being strong and compact, short-coupled with well-placed legs, their muscular bodies ending in bushy tails that are curved at the tip. The wolf-like head holds a jaw full of strong teeth, and they have prick ears that add to their wolfish expression. Inhabiting the Mahenge Plateau, which lies to the east of Lake Malawi, the MaViti are a branch of the belligerent Ngoni remembered for spreading ruin and desolation over large parts of Southern and Central Africa during the last century. In addition to forming part of the MaViti culinary calendar, dogs in this society are also associated with the warriors who take the skin from a live dog and attach it to the shaft of a spear.
This consumption of dogs by African groups is believed to be originally ritualistic in origin, and continues as a practice among the Iron Age slash-and-burn, or hoe cultivators of West Africa, especially those in western and central Sudan and Upper Guinea, but also in the Congo Basin. Here especially the dog is regarded as a mystical creature believed to be the conveyer of culture, notably of fire. However, in Northeast and Southern Africa, particularly that area surrounding the Zambezi, South Africa and northern Angola, this practice is rarely seen. This is due to the spread of the cattle culture whose groups abhor the eating of dog flesh as it is regarded as filthy and spiritually polluting. As a consequence they only keep dogs as companions in the hunt and home, and as guards of their livestock and belongings.
THE APPEARANCE
OF THE PARIAH
Generally speaking pariahs march to a different evolutionary beat from our modern breeds who tread a path beaten out from a forest of genes by man. In contrast to our highly specialized breeds the pariah is necessarily independent by nature and can fend for itself, surviving, and even thriving, in conditions that our modern breeds would find oppressive and even intolerable. They are the hobos of the dog world and man’s scorn encourages the pariah to be cautious and suspicious of humans. Within the pariah pack one finds a general breakdown in regimental order, compared with that of wild and even truly domestic dogs, and a decrease in territoriality which is so important if these dogs are to survive as scavengers. This is the kind of behavior that comes when a generalized and unspecialized pack fills an ecological niche in which scavenging is paramount. It is the type of behavior that certain researchers believe to have been typical of early dogs.
Pariah packs were most likely formed when all pups born were not able to find homes, or those that did once live with human families lost their homes. These had to make do as best they could. Researchers believe that this took place in a warm climate where they were able to cope without human protection and care. To support this theory there are no, or at least few, pariahs in the northern parts of Asia and Europe indicating that dogs generally do not turn feral in colder climes, or in the range of the larger wolves where human protection would be essential if they were to survive.
DYNAMICS
OF THE PARIAH PACK
The appellation pariah not only describes the morphology of a general type of dog, but is also used to refer to certain behavioral traits and an ecological niche filled by these same dogs. Pariahs are almost never seen in wilderness areas like the wolf, but exist on the margins of human society living on human waste and handouts. Menzel and Menzel (1948, quoted in Epstein 1971), observed that whenever a new settlement was established in Palestine the pariah would appear as if out of nowhere to fill this ecological niche. In western Bengal they are seen hanging about the food stalls and small restaurants scavenging what they can, including human feces and livestock carcasses.
Obviously, for a pariah lifestyle to exist it is essential that there be available waste and ideally informal living conditions, such as that seen in most tropic and developing countries. Here the mode of living offers easy access to houses and structures and society generally has little control over the movements of their dogs. As with the first dogs, these pariahs are joined by others who have been excluded from human society. This could include young dogs and pups not able to find homes, dogs that have forsaken human company, perhaps through bad treatment, and those abandoned or lost during droughts, famines, wars and other political or social upheavals. These interbreed freely with the feral population placing their progeny under the influence of natural, rather than human, selection.
Clearly pariahs are neither truly wild, nor fully domesticated in the sense that our modern breeds are. They occupy an intermediate position where their future genetic composition is controlled by nature, not man, and so is much more stable. That is why pariah and primitive dog populations today are very similar to pariahs or primitive dogs of thousands of years ago. Pariahs the globe over are similar in structure and habits because their make-up is not solely determined by a culture, or an individual fancy, but by nature—a much more constant selector.
This consistency is very evident in the reproductive habits of pariah and primitive dog populations, such as the Dingo and New Guinea Singing Dog. For instance, a study of pariah bitches in Bengal showed that females had a seasonal cycle, breeding most often after the monsoon rains, with pups whelped in the cooler months, usually being born around December. As most pariah and primitive dog pups are born in the cooler months of their respective areas it is obvious that this is nature’s way of selecting a more bearable and healthier time of year for the pups, especially in the tropics where the threat of disease is minimized and they are spared the distressing heat, humidity and torrential rains. Bitches are then best able to fend for their pups as well.
Nearly all pariahs and primitive dogs share a seasonal reproductive cycle, commonly ovulating once a year. Close to nature, their rhythm is the rhythm of nature, and their reproductive cycle is heavily influenced by the photoperiod, or day-night length. This is unlike domesticated breeds who are dependent upon the protection afforded by man, and cycle twice a year irrespective of the season, or the photoperiod. Just consider breeders in the west who go to great lengths to make sure their pups are comfortable, including using devices such as infrared lamps and heating pads to keep the pups warm and provide the ultimate protection against the elements. Although it has been shown that pariah and primitive dog populations cycle only once a year, the New Guinea Singing Dog bitch will cycle 4-12 weeks after her first ovulation if she was not impregnated.
There is no doubt that pariah and primitive dog populations differ greatly from modern specialized breeds. They differ in structure and cranial shape, they differ in behavior and mitochondrial DNA suggests that they also differ genetically and in their distant ancestry. It has been discovered, through mitochondrial DNA, that Asian/Pacific dogs, Basenjis and Dingos/New Guinea Singing Dogs are more closely related to one another than to modern breeds. Janice Koler-Matznick suggests that this similarity persists in pariah and primitive populations around the globe, sometimes despite thousands of years of separation, because this group comprises “...a monophyletic type so well adapted that any intrusion of ‘foreign’ genes is quickly eliminated through natural selection.”
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