a place of bells & trees

my piece for the My Liege project put together by @dames-zine and @novaandmali! there is about One Day left in the kickstarter if you'd like to get in on it:

Others just hang up Hanfu skirts as curtains, inspired by the Tang Dynasty tradition of lawn picnic gatherings. Back then, when people went out for picnics, they’d drape their long skirts around the lawn to make makeshift canopies. （cr cunkouyeren，悦风雅 Joy with Grace，林夕kiki，梦还草，卷卷小羊毛，曾寶珠，是张可爱，王星星）

Anyone can experiment with any dog fur for spinning. Go for it! It's fun! I do!

But unless you are Coast Salish, no, reviving sqʷəmey̓ (Salish Wool Dog) is not something anyone can do. sqʷəmey̓ were, and through their memory still are, a massively important part of Coast Salish cultures. Those dogs were taken and destroyed as a breed and way of life through deliberate and violent colonial practices. Colonial systems and decisions do not get a say in when, how, or if sqʷəmey̓ are revived.

To the best of current knowledge, the gene does not exist in modern dog populations, and sqʷəmey̓ was not closely related to any modern dog breed or mix, not even populations on the same coast today.

I would invite anyone who wishes the breed could be revived to also take a moment to consider what made sqʷəmey̓ sqʷəmey̓. The modern understanding of dog breeds is extremely recent and does not mesh well with traditional husbandry practices in most parts of the world. Do sqʷəmey̓ genes make the breed? Is it the husbandry practices? Is it the deep and close relationship with their people? Is it sqʷəmey̓ if it has the genes but it isn't in Coast Salish hands? Is it sqʷəmey̓ if it doesn't have the genes but fulfills the same role in Coast Salish hands? Is a non-Coast Salish reader even the right person to answer these questions?

sqʷəmey̓ feature in the origin histories multiple Coast Salish peoples. sqʷəmey̓ are the only species we know of in the region that recieved similar burial care and practices as humans. If you want to know more about Coast Salish people, their dogs, and their history, here are some places you can start:

Lin, A; Hammond-Kaarremmaa, L; et al, 'The History of Coast Salish "woolly dogs" Revealed by Ancient Genomics and Indigenous Knowledge

The Teachings of Mutton: a Coast Salish Woolly Dog - Liz Hammond-Kaarremmaa, Alison Ariss, Andrea Fritz, Chepximiya Siyam Chief Dr. Janice George, Danielle Morsette, Debra Qwasen Sparrow, Eliot White-Hill Kwulasultun, Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, Kerrie Charnley, Michael Pavel, saꬷamitća Susan Pavel, Senaqwila Wyss, Snumithia’ Violet Elliott, Tuwuxwul’t-hw Tyrone Elliott, Xweliqwiya Rena Point Bolton