Prepared for the AMCA Judges' Education Materials in 1994. Appears on the
AMCA site and other pages as permitted.
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 Roots
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
The Kotzebue line stemmed from Arthur Walden's dogs which were taken over by
Milton and Eva Seeley when Mr. Walden went to Antarctica. The Seeleys'
Chinnok Kennels in Wonalancet, New Hampshire was the best-known sled dog
headquarters in the United States. Dogs for both of the Byrd Expeditions and
for the United States Service Expedition (all to Antarctica) were trained
and supplied by Chinook Kennels. The Seeleys deserve much of the credit for
getting the AKC to recognize the Alaskan Malamute.
Paul Voelker originated the M'Loot line that figures strongly in many
pedigrees, including the foundation of Silver Sled Kennels that is behind
most of the Alaskan Malamutes you may find in the Midwest. Although Voelker
was interested in the same breed, he came up with a slightly different type
of Alaskan Malamute but did not pursue AKC registration.
(or Hinman-Irwin) Strain — This strain involved only a few dogs but made
important contributions to breed quality. The Hinman line in combination
with the M'Loot strain produced some of the best representatives of the
breed. The Hinman strain also figured strongly in combination with M'Loot
and Kotzebue in development of the "Husky-Pak" line, and produced
many champion and foundation dogs for the breed.
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.
In closing, I would like to include a quotation from Natalie Norris, an
early Alaskan Malamute fancier and one of the best-known women sled dog
racers. (I LOVE THIS QUOTE!)
"The Malamute is too fine and distinguished a breed to be changed
into anything but what centuries of adaptability to its environment has
produced. Our efforts should be to breed not only beautiful Malamutes, but as
good specimens physically as were originally found in Alaska. It isn't a
question of breeding a better Malamute, but as good an Alaskan Malamute."
