Samoyed Dog Breed History, part 1
The beautiful Samoyed dog takes its name after nomadic hunter-gatherer groups of Asian origins (most likely of Mongolian descent) named Samoyede. Other Asian migrating groups include the Eskimos (Inuit) who became the first inhabitants of the North American continent, (Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia.) and Laplanders, who reached the Northern parts of Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Samoyede people are generally short, with yellowish-white skin, high cheek bones and concave or straight noses. Most of the Samoyede still alive today (approx 50,000) speak Turkish or Russian.
Samoyede people followed and hunted herds of caribou which is the reason why they migrated so much. The reindeer’s main food source, lichen, takes years to grow to cover a substantial area that can feed a whole herd. The caribou are constantly on the move to find new pastures. Over time, the Samoyede evolved from hunters to herdsmen because they somewhat domesticated the caribou through years of selective breeding. They rendered the males much more docile and less prone to wonder or take females away. The Samoyede continued however to migrate with their herds in order to provide enough food for the reindeer.
The Samoyede culture revolved around caribou. These animals were their source of food, housing, transportation, and clothing. Their religion involved the worship of animal spirits, and shamanistic practices were common. Shamans were important because they were the medium of animal spirits and they would predict where herds will show up, offer healing, and any other advice.
The Samoyede possessed white dogs they called Bjelkier (dog that breeds white) to help them guard the caribou and hunt. The other nomadic tribes mentioned previously all had their own types of dogs to help them survive. Laplanders had the Lapphund, an all black dog that would be easy to spot in white snow. Inuit had the Siberian Husky. The Inuit who migrated to North America had the Alaskan Malamute (named so after the name of their tribe) Compared to the Inuit, Samoyede treated their dogs differently because they included them in their family lives, whereas the other tribes used their dogs only when they needed them and left them to survive on their own the rest of the time.
