After over a century in storage at the Smithsonian Institution, the only surviving pelt of the once-abundant woolly dog is being brought back to the region from which it originated.

Woolly dogs were specially bred by Salish and Makah peoples for their soft, woolly hair, which was woven into blankets, robes and clothing. They have been extinct since the end of the 1800s. Now, the only known pelt in existence is coming the closest it has been to home since it was sent to the Smithsonian Institution in 1859. The pelt will be on loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC from September 2026 to August 2027.

“The loan to MOA was pursued at the request of the Stó:lō House of Respect Caretaking Committee, a group of Elders, knowledge keepers and community members from Stó:lō communities,” said Dr. David Schaepe, director of Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre. “The Stó:lō have a strong connection to this pelt, from a dog called Mutton, because it comes from the region and the territory of the Stó:lō people in what is now known as Chilliwack.”

Knowledge of woolly dogs has long been maintained through Indigenous oral histories and weaving traditions. The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people, on whose traditional and unceded territory MOA is situated, also have a long history with the woolly dog.

“My grandfather told me that every village had them, that they were like gold, because of course, their hair was mixed with the mountain goat and then rove and spun,” said master weaver θəliχʷəlwət–Debra Sparrow (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm).

Before the pelt of this dog goes on public display, members of local Coast Salish communities and weavers will have an opportunity to spend time with it.

Unremarkable in some ways, extraordinary in others

Interest in the woolly dog has grown significantly in recent decades as Salish weaving has experienced a resurgence across the region. Researchers have also used new scientific techniques, including genetic analysis, to study historical textiles and better understand the role woolly dogs played in Salish and Makah weaving traditions.

This woolly dog pelt provides communities the opportunity to reconnect with and reaffirm this knowledge, and invites visitors to reflect on these histories, relationships and cultural practices.

“The existence of the pelt is seen by many people as confirmation of something communities have always known,” said Jordan Wilson, the curator of Pacific Northwest and Contemporary Indigenous Art at MOA and a member of the Musqueam nation. “On its own, it’s a pelt of fur and it’s not necessarily something most people would find visually remarkable. You need the history and context to understand why it’s so significant.”

“In some ways it’s unremarkable, and in other ways it’s extraordinary.”

“It starts to unravel, in a way, people’s understanding of us as a hunter-gatherer society,” said Coast Salish artist Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun (Snuneymuxw). “Our relationship with the woolly dogs, our relationship with the camas patches and the clam beds, the way that we tended the land and tended the forests. These all show the systems in place that are far more complex than what people take for granted about Coast Salish culture.”

Rare glimpse of extinct species

Naturalist George Gibbs, who participated in surveys establishing the colonial Canada-U.S. border in the mid-19th century, had Mutton as his companion. Exactly how Gibbs acquired this dog remains unclear.

Research suggests the dog lived to about 18 months old. He had been shorn at least once before his death. Gibbs then sent the pelt to the Smithsonian along with other specimens.

Wilson said sharing this opportunity with local nations is important as the pelt remains significant to living communities today. In many ways, this occasion weaves together the two hats he wears – one as a curator, the other as a member of Musqueam.

“Weaving traditions are an important part of my community’s ways of being, so there is personal significance to the pelt’s arrival. At the same time, as museum professionals, we wanted to approach this pelt with great respect,” he said. “That’s shaped both the design of the display and the language we’re using to interpret it.”

While the pelt offers a rare glimpse into a species that no longer exists, Wilson said its significance extends beyond the animal itself.

“It speaks to a species’ extinction, which is just one of many profound impacts of settler colonialism. That’s something that cannot be undone. But it also speaks to the lives of our ancestors, their relationship with the more-than-human world, and their teachings and knowledge that continue to be passed forward,” said Wilson.

The pelt will be displayed at MOA from September 2026 until August 2027. For more information about opening hours at MOA, visit: https://moa.ubc.ca/

Multimedia assets: Dropbox

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Jordan Wilson

Curator of Pacific Northwest and Contemporary Indigenous Art, Museum of Anthropology