Making A Living Inwards The World: Anthropology, The Development Of Behaviour, Together With Preparation Dogs

An anthropologist learns from Dinjii Zhuh Elders inward the Northwest Territories nearly the economic science of brute behaviour, in addition to why this matters to dogs.

Dogs past times the eastward branch of the Nagwichoonjik (Mackenzie River) inward Ehdiitat (Mackenzie Delta). Photo:Kristi Benson

By Kristi Benson

As an anthropologist, I conduct maintain been given the gift of working alongside the Dinjii Zhuh (Gwich’in peoples) inward Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, in addition to Tsiigehtchic for nearly 15 years. These 4 communities shape a band around the vast Ehdiitat (or Mackenzie Delta equally it is to a greater extent than late known), earlier the Mackenzie enters Inuit lands in addition to empties into the Beaufort Sea in addition to the Arctic Ocean. The Gwich’in were signatories to Treaty eleven inward 1921, in addition to negotiated the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement inward the 1980s in addition to 1990s. It was signed inward 1992. Gwich’in lands cross a beautiful stretch of subarctic inward what is instantly known equally the Northwest Territories in addition to Yukon. There are mountains to the westward in addition to south, in addition to inward the east, the boreal forests in addition to taiga stretch to the horizon. The formidable Nagwichoonjik or Mackenzie River travels westward across Gwich’in lands inward its in conclusion stretch earlier it turns northward, slows, in addition to separates into the delta.

Gwich’in lands conduct maintain ever provided for, in addition to been taken aid of by, the Gwich’in. For thousands of years the Gwich’in conduct maintain made a living past times hunting caribou in addition to moose, harvesting berries, in addition to fishing. Although today, Gwich’in families to a greater extent than often than non remain inward town in addition to participate inward the global economy, inward the past times they moved across their lands seasonally, on well-placed in addition to well-known trails that conduct maintain seen tens of thousands of footprints over thousands of years.

Kristi Benson skijoring alongside domestic dog Gracie. Photo: Yoenne Ewald

During my years working alongside the Gwich’in, I conduct maintain sat around many kitchen tables drinking tea, alongside a tape recorder whirring gently nearby. During these hours, I listened to the thoughtfully-filtered noesis built past times generations of people alongside intricate in addition to inextricable ties to a cultural landscape, a landscape in addition to so familiar that the maps showing Gwich’in travels in addition to harvesting areas are—quite literally—blacked out alongside lines. From the earliest fourth dimension I worked alongside Gwich’in Elders, I flora 1 detail plough of phrase intriguing in addition to thought-provoking: when talking nearly an animal’s behaviour, Elders would sometimes complete a idea or summarize alongside a “well, that’s how he makes a living”.

Before my fourth dimension alongside the Gwich’in, I’d never actually idea of an animal’s demeanour equally beingness a career earlier (gender-marking wildlife inward this way was also novel in addition to thought-provoking to me). I hadn’t considered demeanour equally something that could live classified equally beingness in addition to so baldly functional. Dzan, or muskrats, create small-scale mounds of nutrient on lake ice, caching the frozen vegetation for afterward in addition to leaner times. They are making a living inward their world. Vadzaih, or caribou, wander out onto the lake H2O ice to observe these ‘muskrat push-ups’ in addition to devour them, earning all those calories in addition to nutrients. The caribou are making a living, too. No 1 could top the 4 seasons inward the subarctic in addition to non conduct maintain a rather visceral agreement of how difficult whatsoever animal—humans included—must work, exactly to remain alive: to acquire plenty to eat, to avoid beingness eaten, in addition to to remain comfortably warm.

The landscape due south of Inuvik. Photo: Kristi  Benson.

Fitness in addition to Adaptation: The Economy of Behaviour

Animals are non similar plants. They don’t remain firmly in addition to fixedly inward 1 house in addition to grow, harvesting sunlight to remain alive. Instead, animals work their senses to translate their worlds, in addition to based on what’s happening around them, they work their muscles in addition to their brains to, well, do stuff. An animal’s behaviour, taken from a wide perspective, is a complex mix of natural behaviours they are born doing or grow into, in addition to behaviours they have, based on experiences over the bridge of their lives, learned to do. Animals caput out into their worlds to obtain food, they caput out into their worlds to observe mates, in addition to they acquire by or flee to protect themselves or of import resources.

In the scientific theory of evolution, animals are understood to evolve inward ways both physical in addition to behavioural through natural in addition to sexual selection. Those animals that are the best at survival in addition to reproduction inward their local environments are the ones that top along copies of themselves (or to a greater extent than accurately, their genes) to some other generation of animals. That is to say, the animals that are the best at making a living inward their world go to top along their detail blend of physical in addition to behavioural characteristics. An brute that cannot acquire plenty to swallow or avoid all of life’s innumerous pitfalls volition go out no offspring—and thus disappear from an evolutionary standpoint—in whatsoever ecosystem.

The mountains due south of Fort McPherson. Photo: Kristi Benson

Although I hadn’t considered the demeanour of moose or grizzly bears equally a project earlier I started working alongside Dinjii Zhuh Elders it does brand feel to stance demeanour through this lens. Of course of teaching we, equally humans, aren’t the exclusively ones who demand to brand a living inward the world. Humans aren’t split upward from animals, inward whatsoever existent sense: nosotros are mammals, in addition to our demeanour has evolved to growth our fitness, in addition to thus our powerfulness to brand copies of ourselves, exactly similar whatsoever other animal’s demeanour has.

Łaii (Dogs)

So how does this relate to łaii (dogs)? As a domestic dog trainer, I often work the real phrase I learned from my Gwich’in colleagues in addition to interviewees: dogs, similar caribou in addition to muskrats, brand a living inward their world. Although nowadays, nosotros arrive at dogs the nutrient they demand to go (twice a twenty-four hr menses inward a dainty petty bowl), protect them from danger, in addition to render beds, shelter, in addition to other needs, their demand to brand feel of their worlds and, well, do stuff is even in addition to so present.

Dogs acquit inward the same ways that helped their forebears obtain food, observe mates, in addition to remain safe. For example, many dogs even in addition to so exhibit ‘food acquisition’ or hunting behaviours, although sometimes these behaviours exhibit upward equally do or play versions. These dogs chase prey, or reasonable in addition to fun correlates of prey similar bicycles, lawn tennis balls, cars, in addition to frisbees. Some dogs also dismember their prey, or reasonable in addition to fun correlates similar stuffed animals, beds, couches, shoes, tissue, in addition to newspaper bags. And many dogs volition gnaw on bones to obtain the nutrient-rich marrow in addition to create clean their teeth—although equally pets, these bones are typically Kongs, antlers, or other purpose-made chews. Most dogs kept equally pets are fixed/neutered, in addition to so their mate-selection behaviours are somewhat truncated. But nosotros tin terminate even in addition to so reckon them, peculiarly inward play.

An brute inward the wild must do a skilful project of protecting herself or himself, in addition to must also protect of import resources. Many dogs retain this instinct, in addition to volition protect themselves past times displaying fearful or aggressive demeanour if they experience threatened. One typical context is coming together people they don’t know—although many dogs are friendly to strangers, this is past times no way assured (and people who are looking to acquire puppies do good to both seek out the progeny of friendly parents and socialize their novel pup broadly). When dogs acquit either fearfully (by cowering, hiding, running) or aggressively (by barking, snarling, in addition to biting) towards people they do non know, they are exactly reacting inward the way whatsoever brute does when faced alongside a threat: trying to acquire some distance.

A watchful wolverine inward Haines, Alaska. Photo: Richard Seeley/Shutterstock

Another context inward which nosotros oftentimes reckon a dog’s industriousness is when they guard resources similar a nutrient dish or a chew toy. From the dog’s perspective, at that topographic point is no argue to acquire to all the piece of work of getting nutrient if someone volition exactly come upward in addition to conduct maintain it all away. As some other example, nèhtrùh, or wolverine, are well-known to acquit aggressively towards people or whatsoever other brute interloper who powerfulness brand a run at their food. And wolverine conduct maintain a strategy that dogs, luckily, do non share: they volition ‘mark’ their nutrient alongside their strong-smelling urine, ensuring that no-one else would desire to come upward inside a mile of it.

“that’s where he makes his living.”
Gwichya Gwich’in Elder Pierre Benoit, speaking about
wolverines living inward brushy areas, inward a 2013 interview.
 Gwich’in Traditional Knowledge: Nèhtrùh (Wolverine), p 38. 

In improver to their comprehensive noesis nearly the land, the weather, in addition to the animals, Gwich’in Elders also know nearly how the footing came to be. In stories recorded inward the 1970s for CBC radio, for example, they told of a fourth dimension long inward the past times when humans in addition to animals spoke the same language, in addition to co-existed equally equals. Before things changed, earlier the footing became how it is today, the animals in addition to the humans had meetings to hash out how they should relate to each other.

Although nosotros can’t speak to our dogs, in addition to nosotros can’t conduct maintain meetings to hash out how we’ll relate to each other, nosotros tin terminate do our dogs a service past times recognizing that when dogs struggle to agree into a real human world, they aren’t beingness defiant or stubborn. Dogs, similar all animals, are exactly behaving inward ways that conduct maintain ever helped them to go in addition to thrive: they’re making a living inward their world.


Gwich’in house names from the Gwich’in Place Names Atlas online.
Gwich’in brute names are inward the Teetł’it Gwich’in dialect of Fort McPherson, in addition to are from the Gwich'in Topical Dictionary, sixth edition, 2009. They were reviewed past times Eleanor Mitchell-Firth. 
Màhsì’ (thank-you) to Dr. Crystal Fraser for her review of this blog. 

Kristi  Benson

About Kristi Benson: Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers, where she earned her Certificate inward Training in addition to Counseling (CTC).  She lives in addition to works inward the Parkland Region of key Manitoba Canada, where she teaches domestic dog obedience classes in addition to helps domestic dog owners inward individual consultations – both in-person in addition to via video chat – for a total arrive at of domestic dog problems, from basic obedience to aggressive behaviour. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the side past times side generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, in addition to for fun she runs them alongside a dog-powered scooter in addition to on skis.

Contact her through her website and banking concern check out her blog, Facebook page, or Twitter for grooming tips, articles nearly dogs in addition to training, in addition to more.

Also past times Kristi Benson:

Into the middle of things: domestic dog grooming lessons from the best fiction
Did nosotros evolve to dear dogs?
Digging into our mutual footing alongside dogs

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