Seri Indian dogs

“Some Notes Regarding Dogs and Other Pets in Seri Society” Spring 1952

William Neil Smith   AZ Special Collections Box 22 Folder 3

-dogs freely share all living space, dogs sleep with people on cold nights, and it can be very cold and windy

-in summer dogs sleep in the shade and make periodic trips to the ocean, where they walk in up to their backs or just stand until cooled off

-at night dogs roam in packs, fighting barking chasing coyotes and raising hell, if dogs bark too much, Seri tie their mouths shut with fishing line

-in spite of dogs being a considerable nuisance, they disturb sleep and steal food and water, the women take special care to cover stuff at night to protect against dogs, their acceptance is the general pattern

-dogs have ticks in large numbers, sometimes to the point of covering the floor, but the ticks don’t go on people

-shape, color and size is highly variable, it is amazing how many weird looking dogs there are, dog mestizos

-distinctive features: medium to long tails that curve up and sometimes have as tight curl, short hair, pointed ears, pale yellow eyes, some look coyote-ish, wary/ half wild behavior, half starved appearance

Pfeffercorn, in description of mid 18^th century Sonora: pp 103 -104

“Dogs are so plentiful in Sonora that another country could be populated from their number without a shortage being noticeable. The Indians outdo all other people of the world in their affection for dogs. In each household there are three, four, five, and often more dogs. It matters not whether the dog is handsome or ugly, well-formed or a monster, if only it be a dog. The howling and barking of such a tremendous number of restless creatures creates an uproar that is almost unbearable, especially at night. At the beginning of my stay in Sonora I could not sleep peacefully a single night because of this clamour.”   I’ll say, the dogs really get going in Sonora

-on Tiburon Island, Smith saw dogs and coyotes sniffing and maneuvering around a water hole, after which the coyote walked off without being chased

-dogs are said to possess religious powers, (tener Catolicos), cats have more than dogs, black dogs have more, males more than females

-all dogs have Seri names, some have Spanish names, some named after dead people, which is same as Eskimos, where intent is to put name spirit of dead individual into dog’s body to give same a home and avoid ghosts

-male dogs named after geographic sites, mountains, dry lakes, water sources, only old, people who can’t have children can name dogs

-dogs around sea turtle cookout in puberty festival, beating the dogs, xolos, with mohawks, cold dogs, begging for food, ransacking food left out by volunteers

-“In-hli’tt Doaknee (head dome shaped) Norman Krekler, whose Seri name was same