Thread by @DeadDogLake

Why I think Rez dogs are important

For the most part, Rez dogs roam around the Rez not out of neglect but out of respect.

Piikuni (Blackfeet) have always had a good relationship with the mutt.
They were our beasts of burden and made it possible for us to live that #oldway, was we have always done

imitaa (dog) is an old word. Some people have told me it means companion. The sign for it is you make a ‘peace sign’ and drag it across your chest, palm facing down. It refers to the travois and their importance and help they gave us when we moved camp

Piikuni never ate dog in any setting. That is not a jab at other tribes, it’s just our personal cultural paradigm. A cultural ethic we abided by.

When we got the horse we first called them ō’m”koomitaa (big dog). Eventually we started to fall them po’nōkaamitaa (elk dog). I’ve heard various reasons why. One reason is that horses eat grass, like elk, and are companions, like the mutt

In the 1880 we have a time we called mu”kso’owuto”pii o.ō”sin (when we staged to death for not having food) {enit, @MrHWM, that’s what it called} and in that time we never ate dogs nor horses.

When we lost our way of life and became townsfolk we didn’t divide the land and our dogs still got to live the life they always lived... roaming around

I’d argue that largely many Piikuni still treat horses the was we did in that #oldway

I think we have an agreement with the dog. Rez dogs have sovereignty. They do what they want... sniff what they want... they are free to do as they please. Free to have pups (we still fix many of them as we can), and free to die

I feed the Rez dogs around town and I treat my own dogs better than I treat my cousins, enit @MrHWM

I think the Rez dogs who run around smiling all day invites a good spirit. When dogs are happy angels eat bannock bread.

I seriously believe Rez dogs ward off bad spirits.

They are a constant reminder that life is suffering and suffering doesn’t always prevent smiling.

Of course there are dickheads who treat Rez dogs mean. No Rez is a utopia. But, you know what, parts of the Rez are perfect and beautiful (yea, I said it)

Of course they are a reminder that humanity and help come in many ways. Feed a Rez dog and they wag their tail. Let a Rez dog and they’ll wag their tail. There’s many ways to help Rez dogs

There are nonprofits that take Rez dogs and find good houses fir them around the state and that’s really great. There are various issues though. Often we just let our dogs go where they please and many of us do not put collars in them. Sometimes they get taken

Taken by tourists traveling through who see a pretty dog w/o a collar and ‘save’ it. I’m sure a few of my dogs disappeared that way. (This guy, called him pu•ksiko’yii).

They mean good and I understand. I love dogs and I can see myself doing the same. Just the lives of Rez dogs. I can’t chain my dogs... They need to run around. This is where I live.

So rather than control their lives to ensure their ultimate safety Rez dogs have sovereignty. We treat Rez dogs with more respect than Indian Agents treated us. Perhaps that’s another reason why we let Rez dogs do what they want.

Piikuni have a ‘ethic’ of non-interference. We didn’t force beliefs or norms on people or each other. I believe that’s why we are let Rez dogs live their lives with minimal interference

Some dogs can be dangerous. Ironically, most of the dangerous dogs are the ones who are chained and penned up and fight when let out. Most dogs learn that looking cute and pitiful gets you food, not barking and growling. So most Rez dogs end up being kind, at least here

You got different dogs, too. Some hang out at specific stores and master begging. Some find friends, the people ‘on the streets’. On the Rez, you’ll always see that one bum bumming around with a mutt companion.

You got Rez dogs that go through trash and scavenge. I’ve seen some travel out of town and hunt gophers. Some even get in packs. But those packs haven’t done any harm in Piikuni, I’m thankful for that.

There’s some popular Rez dogs, too.t this poor girl had a tumor and was around for several years, she died a year or two ago. We called her ‘chestnuts’, I’m sure you can see why

Here is a Rez dog that just was in a wrong place at the wrong time. A cousin of mine took this picture. Poor mutt. Winter really hurts a lot of the@

Someday I want to build a Rez dog hotel for them in the winter.

We are all Rez dogs. So treat them good because it’s that #oldway

*starved

Rez dogs have fun. This guy was running away from me but would turn around and taunt. This was after a feed

This was a few months ago stepping outside a general tribal council meeting

You’ll see dogs terrorizing horses but you’ll see them playing with each other sometimes, too

So if you liked this thread give me five bucks when you come to my Rez, I’ll tell you some really wicked good stories