Idaho Alaskan Malamute Rescue Resources
A Brief History of the Alaskan Malamute
       |
Origin At least four thousand,years ago, but very likely even earlier, the Eskimos crossed the Bering Straits when the tribes migrated East from the cold barren lands of Siberia. Arctic anthropology indicates the presence of Eskimo civilization at Cape Krusenstern as early as 1850 B.C. Eskimo means "raw flesh eater" in the language of the Canadian Indians, the Eskimos referred to themselves as "Innuit" which means "the people." Culturally they are quite different from the other races in the New World; their history is mysterious and much of this surrounds the dog. Thus its history and early development are largely conjectural. Early life for the Eskimo consisted of nomadic travel in extremely rigorous conditions. Dogs and sleds were essential to their way of life and were their most prized possessions. Without them travel and hauling would have been impossible. Archaeological evidence indicates that sled dogs may have first been used no more than three to five hundred years ago, although they may have been used for dog-drawn sleds or as pack dogs before that time. The dogs also hunted polar bear and other Arctic mammals for food. They are extremely hardy dogs and have adapted to the extremely low temperatures commonplace in Alaska. One thing is certain - the innate quality of the dog we know as the Alaskan Malamute and its superb adaptation to its environment.
|
The Malamute Eskimo
There are twenty native Alaskan languages, four are Eskimo.
However, none were written down until the eighteenth century when Russian fur
traders entered the country. The name Malamute applies to the regional dialect
of the Alaskan Inupiaq Eskimos. The Malamute speaking tribe or tribes eventually
settled in the Northeastern area of the Seward Peninsula. It was here that the
dogs we call Alaskan Malamutes are popularly supposed to have originated or to
have settled after the great migration. Some early explorers also described
similar dogs in coastal regions much further South. Obviously men and their dogs
migrated to where there was most food. Fishing and game possibilities varied
according to the weather and coastal areas may have had more to offer. This
accounts for the apparent spread of the dog population to both North and South
from the original settlements around Kotzebue Sound. Nonetheless, Malamute dogs
of excellent type could be found in that area even up to the mid-1960's.
Malamute Eskimos, now known as Kuuvangmiut or Kobuk people, had a good standard
of life, working hard and developing their dogs to a high level of strength,
intelligence and reliability. People of the Malamute region are said to have fed
dogs as often as they themselves ate on the trail. This humane treatment may
account for the rather better temperament of the Alaskan Malamute as opposed to
certain other Arctic sled dog breeds. When you consider that many working dogs
were badly mistreated, underfed and over-used it should not be surprising that
many Arctic dogs had bad dispositions. The Malamute Eskimos bred only the best
and most promising youngsters and treated their dogs well and evidently did not
do a lot of breeding because of the lack of food. White men found it difficult
to purchase Malamutes because of the high value placed upon them which explains
the relatively small foundation to which we trace today's Malamutes.
The Alaskan Malamute's Root's
The Alaskan Malamute is a member of the Spitz group of dogs.
This group is well represented in the world, including the Akita, Chow Chow,
Elkhound, Finnish Spitz, and Samoyed to mention only a few. We may have the
wandering merchants, explorers, and roving armies of yesteryear to thank for
their wide distribution across the globe. However, until recently, the Alaskan
Malamute has remained almost completely native to Alaska. Some naturalists think
that the Alaskan Malamute is a product of the early dog and domesticated wolf
from centuries ago, whereas some Eskimo cultural experts and a number of Eskimo
elders dismiss this idea, pointing out the anatomical differences between dog
and wolf. One of the early Malamute breeders, Paul Voelker, believed the Alaskan
Malamute to be the oldest breed on the North American continent and probably the
breed longest associated with man. According to Voelker, bone and ivory carvings
dated at twelve to twenty thousand years old show the Malamute essentially as he
is today. Voelker is quoted as saying: "Don't forget that the Alaskan Malamute
for untold generations was raised with the Eskimos, pups and kids on the floor
together. I've seen little babies crawling in among the pups to nurse off the
old mother dog."
The Gold Rush
When the Gold Rush began in 1896 prospectors discovered the
need for sleds and dog teams. Teams became very expensive; it was normal to pay
$1,500 for a small team and $500 for a good dog. The Alaskan Malamute was the
most prized and respected team dog and his facial markings were much admired.
However, the Alaskan Malamute breed could have been lost during this time of
inter-breeding with smaller, faster dogs for racing and also with larger dogs
such as the Saint Bernard for dog fighting and weight pulling. Despite this
cross-breeding, the dogs quickly began to return to the Spitz type to which all
Northern breeds belong. Even the first generation of cross-breeds tended to look
more like the Spitz dog than the other half of their breeding. Within three
generations there would be no sign of outside blood. Why would this be so? The
Arctic type has been dominant for many centuries and obviously those dogs not
inheriting the survival characteristics of the Arctic breeds would not be able
to survive. Additionally, many Arctic dogs are "easy keepers" and require much
less food than dogs of comparable size. It has been speculated that those dogs
that did not inherit these qualities may well have starved on the rations
normally given to the sled dogs. These differences can partially account for
slight variations found in modern Alaskan Malamutes. They do not indicate any
impure breeding in present day dogs, nor any departure from true type.
The Three Basic Foundation Lines
AKC Recognition of the Alaskan Malamute
Breed recognition for the Alaskan Malamute came in 1935, the
same year that the Alaskan Malamute Club of America was formed. The original
registration period for AKC was very short, just long enough to get enough dogs
registered to provide a base on which the breed could grow and develop. During
World War II, many sled dogs, including many of the few registered Malamutes,
were loaned for war duty. After the war many of these same dogs were used on an
expedition to Antarctica. They served and then, due to some bureaucratic
decision, were chained to an ice floe and destroyed by an explosive charge (this
action nearly incited a mutiny among the Navy men involved). Some time after
this tragic event, AKC realized the breed had hardly any registered Malamutes to
support it. They reopened AKC registration, but on more rigid specifications.
Quality had to be proved by showing each applicant as a "listed" dog and
attaining ten championship points. During this time, many early fanciers
registered their dogs under the new rules, adding the M'Loot and Hinman strains
to the Kotzebues registered earlier. Suddenly, the door to registration was
closed by the AKC despite the protests of the Alaskan Malamute Club of America.
All registered Alaskan Malamutes today go back to the original Kotzebues or to
dogs registered during the open period in the late forties.
Resource:
WikiFido The Alaskan Malamute History
Click here to go to the Top of Page
Click here to send an email to the Site Owner
This page was lasted updated on 04/02/2008 09:16:34 AM -0500
