DOMESTICATED ANIMALS AND PETS
We are apt to think of Indians, especially Plains Indians, riding horses
as part of the natural prehistoric scene, yet this was not the case.
Although fossil remains in the rocks show clearly the development of the
horse over a period of several millions of years on this continent, the
horse, the camel, and the rhinoceros—to mention but a few of the
spectacular mammals—became extinct on the American continents before the
advent of prehistoric man. American Indians had never seen a horse until
the coming of the Spanish to the New World in 1540. Likewise domestic
cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens were unknown to the aborigines.
The dog was widely distributed, however. Some tribes had large as well
as small dogs of a variety of colors. In the Lassen area the dogs were
all about the size of small coyotes, mostly with fairly short hair, but
there are some reports of long haired dogs. Typically the dogs had small
rather erect and pointed ears. Coloration was chiefly fawn colored to
brown. Amongst Atsugewi, dogs were usually quite numerous, but certain
villages seem to have had only a few. In such cases and among the
mountain Maidu, who generally had only few dogs, they were borrowed for
hunting. Dogs were almost always named.
Dogs served to warn their owners of the approach of strangers to the
village or camp. Mountain Maidu taught their dogs not to bark, but to
“sniff” conspicuously as a signal of stranger approach.
Tribes of the Lassen area did not normally keep dogs in their dwelling
houses. Atsugewi built separate, domed, bark-covered dog houses, and
mountain Maidu built two kinds of shelters for their dogs. One was a
subterranean earth-covered dog house, and the other a conical affair of
bark slab type construction.
Dogs were widely used in hunting. They were efficient in catching
rodents and other small mammals such as ground hogs. They were also
useful for treeing mountain lions and were adept at bringing down
wounded deer by jumping up and seizing the deers’ ears.
Dogs were not often eaten by tribes in this section of California. Upon
death, dogs were not buried, but the bodies were merely thrown out.
Upon death of the dog’s owner, among Atsugewi, the dog was retained by
the widow, but among mountain Maidu the dog was suspended in a tree
because “It makes dog’s spirit glad”! Although not being generally
considered in this account, it is curious that among Modoc and eastern
Achomawi dogs were burned at the deaths of their owners.
Bear cubs were commonly kept. Atsugewi also kept fawns and other small
mammals as pets. Birds of various sorts were kept by certain tribes.
Atsugewi plucked or cut wings of birds, especially of eagles whose
feathers were prized for arrow making, and for ceremonial and decorative
purposes.