Johan Gallant on Basenjis

Tags

african dogs, african stock project, basenji, basenji club of america, dog books, johan gallant

I’m a terrible hoarder of library books… This is a real problem because grad students at my university don’t seem to have checkout caps on our accounts, and we can renew titles for up to three years. However, I’ve been making an effort to winnow down my stacks, typing and filing away notes so I can relinquish what I don’t absolutely have to keep on hand.

This one is so fascinating, it’s hard to let go. From Johan Gallant, The Story of the African Dog (Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 2002), under the section “Thoroughbreds with African Roots,” comes the following:

My own experience with traditional Congolese dogs goes back to my 1957 travels in the country. My observation was that the dogs of the southern savannah were taller than those of the equatorial forest but were largely of the same type. Pricked ears and tightly curled tails were not a standard feature among either the savannah or the forest dogs. These details only became ‘fixed’ when the modern Basenji was selectively bred.

[…]

My more recent field work in southern Africa has confirmed for me that virtually all traditional African dogs carry an ancestral graioid [greyhound-like] streak. They inherited it from their forefathers who arrived on the African continent 7000 years ago and brought these genes from the protodogs from which they had evolved. It seems misplaced, therefore, when the canine-fancying world promotes the show Basenji as the prototype of the African dog. To the contrary, this pure-bred Basenji is a typical example of modern cynotechnical interference with the gene pool of a naturally evolving land race.

When, during the 1930s, Mpoa specimens were collected from the ‘natural’ dog populations endemic to the Congo forest, this chosen dozen formed the foundation stock for a new breed. Planned inbreeding within this isolated group ensured artificial selection towards set goals, defined (as is all too often the case) not by concern for the well being of the breed itself, but by fashionable standards of what is perceived to be attractive. The inevitable cost to the Basenji of such inbreeding within a small foundation stock has been the development of a host of hereditary defects associated with the breed. These have persisted despite the most dedicated efforts to eradicate them, for example, through the periodic introduction of new equatorial stock as recently as 1987. The American Kennel Club unfortunately since banned this practice.* The case of the Basenji is a sad illustration of the results that ill-considered genetic tampering can have. It seems that modern dogdom has simply accepted that this is the toll that modern breeds have to pay for their privilege of pleasing their eyes.

Gallant, p. 85, 87, emphasis mine
* Petitioned by the Basenji Club of America, the AKC has reopened the Basenji studbooks again, though for a limited time. More information can be found on the BCOA pages for the African Stock Project.

My random, scattered thoughts —

I think it’s interesting that Gallant was in the Congo at roughly the same time as Veronica Tudor-Williams was in Southern Sudan with her crew. It does not matter to me so much who was “first,” but that their journeys and motives overlapped even when their persons did not (or did they?).

It seems that Gallant does find some of the modern Basenji to be physically attractive. He acknowledges as much in a caption describing the 2001 Crufts winner and elsewhere in the book. But acknowledging their visual appeal is not enough to justify their production in a system that he finds thoroughly artificial, disabling, and disdainful (see, for example, his book S.O.S. Dog, which is fetching some unholy prices on Amazon for some reason, as is this book).

For Gallant, it seems that the only “true” African dog not only comes from Africa, but stays in Africa — breeding, heritage, and institutionally sanctioned notions of what it means to be thoroughbred are rather irrelevant. This, too, is a kind of purist’s stance that finds coherence in geography rather than genealogy. I think his words deeply wound those whose breed with romantic intentions to “preserve” what they regard as a “primitive” breed, while Gallant would argue that African dogs require neither preservation nor “cynotechnical interference” (I love that term), if one would just abandon the notion of a narrowly defined breed.

I don’t actually begrudge Gallant his harsh words. His agenda against kennel clubs is very clear. However, just as all our modern breeds, including our “primitive” Basenji and Shiba Inu, are configurations of historical contingency and contemporary fashions, so too do I think that ANTI-kennel club polemics can be located within particular circumstances.

The dog people I know who are invested in breed club activities find their efforts to be personally enriching, first and foremost, though they ultimately take pride in promoting or benefiting their chosen breed(s). Yet, the same, too, can be said for those who rally under anti kennel club flags. At the end of the day, I find the anti-club crusaders’ motivations to be just as deeply rooted in personal experience.

I don’t know enough about Gallant’s background to understand where he comes from, but I am indeed curious. Such deep convictions are not formulated overnight, after all.

PRINT: Congolese hunting dogs (1978, 1983, 1990)

Tags

african dogs, aka, basenji, congo, democratic republic of the congo, dog photography, hunting, hunting dogs, mbuti

I was flipping through Inu no Nihon shi : ningen to tomoni ayunda ichimannen no monogatari [犬 の 本 史 : 人間 と ともに 步んだ 一万年 の 物語] (Ed. Taniguchi Kengo 谷口 研語, Tokyo: PHP Kenkyūjo, 2000), a special volume on the working relationships between dogs and people, put out by the Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples. Contained within was relatively little on Japanese people and any of the Nihon ken. What was included, however, was a broad span of material on working and hunting relationships between humans and dogs from indigenous cultures of other continents.

This series of photos caught my eye.

Hunting dogs of the Mbuti

Hunting dogs of the Aka

Photographs 8 and 9 (from 1990) were contributed by ICHIKAWA Mitsuko 市川光雄, 11 and 12 by TERASHIMA Hideaki 寺島秀明 (from 1978), 13 and 14 (from 1983) by 丹野正 TADASHI Tanno. They are researchers whose work concentrates on the Mbuti (p. 28), the Aka (p. 29) and other hunter-gatherer cultures of the Congo Basin.

The dogs are not identified as “Basenji,” but as hunting dogs. Function, not breed, is the focus of this monograph. The diagram on page 29 depicts how Central African net hunters use their dogs and beaters (helpers who make loud noises, always women) to drive game into nets. And yes, the dogs wear absurdly large bells so that they can be heard (and not harmed!) in the thick of the action, since they don’t bark.

My favorite shot is P13, not for the naked natives but the plump, arch-necked basenji who can’t help but be included as an underfoot critter in this utterly domestic campsite scene. While the humans look self-consciously at the camera, the dog knows only to heed the shins of her people. Similarly, P14 is a nice shot, too. Perhaps the photographers had not intended to specifically capture the dogs in those photos — but they were there, a constant presence and ineradicable part of life.

P9 is a very close runner-up for favorite shot. Most powerful to me is the juxtaposition of the hunter’s muscular forearm, as well-toned as his dog’s. In this moment of sinew and flesh and the promise of meat, a snapshot conveys the very essence and history of action, with all its chronology and fluidity. And that is a dog whose alert posture, erect ears, and abundant figure commands a central place in the photographic composition. All this is counterbalanced by the child in the back right. The boy’s grip on his bow suggests that he’s no anomaly; he has full claim to this hunt, despite his youth. Yet, I suspect the dog has already seen more of the world than the boy has dared to dream…

Anyway, sorry for the low-quality scans… but not really. Alas, stuff has a tendency to circulate without credit on the internet. These photos should definitely be traced back to the source, so here’s hoping that my low resolution scans just might encourage someone to do so.

African eye-to-eye

Tags

african dogs, basenji, rhodesian ridgeback, rhodesian ridgebacks

One of the most common, yet completely inaccurate breed mis-identifications for Bowpi is Ridgeback. I think people have a vague sense that she’s some kind of African breed, and when they see her B-ridge all bristled up, a Rhodesian Ridgeback just comes to mind.

As you can see, they are very different dogs…

… from head to tail.

They seem to be very common around these parts. I’m surprised they don’t crack any official lists of top breeds for the area (though they do appear on San Diego and Austin’s lists). Perhaps if the stats were not tallied by AKC registration figures, but by number relative to overall population in the country, we’d see them up there?

I like the way these guys are built — muscly and lithe, a moderate balance of power and speed. Though most at the dog park trot pretty close alongside their owners, the ones we’ve gotten to meet up close are charmers, indeed.

Entangled descriptors

Tags

african dogs, basset hound, chinese dogs, classical chinese, mandarin chinese, south sotho, xhosa, zulu

I’m reading Johan Gallant’s Story of the African Dog (Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 2002) and it’s interesting to see the nouns used to describe dogs that predate breed standardization. He devotes one page to this list:

In Zulu
• isiqha: powerful, medium sized, most common dog
• isimaku: small, shortlegged type
• ichalaha: big, male dog, taller than isiqha, fast and slender
• isigola: slender, medium sized dog that is lazy to hunt
• ixhonti: refers to a long or wiry coat
• ubhova: heavy-skulled dogs with a big mouth
• ibhansi and itswili: cross between Greyhound and traditional dog, used for hunting

In Xhosa:
• itwinia: very typical slender hound of medium size
• ibaku: a taller, heavier dog usually with hanging ears
• ingeke: a smaller type, often because of short legs, comparable with isimaku
• ingesi: indicates a mixture with exotic (English) breeds

In South Sotho:
• lekesi: dog used to hunt hares
• lebeletoko: big heavy dog
• ntja e liqholo-qholo: very lean dog
• mcle: small dog with short legs

All three lists above are from Gallant, p. 11. There should be quotation marks around it, or at least the entire thing should be set off in blockquotes, but I was having formatting difficulties.

15 September 2011

Meanwhile here’s a list in Chinese drawn primarily from the Erya 爾雅 (a 3rd century BC lexicon):

• 狗 gǒu, 犬 quán: dog (generic)
• 牻 máng: shaggy dog
• 毫 háo： small dog
• 獫 xiǎn: long-snouted dog
• 猲獢 xiē xiāo: short-muzzled dog
• 狣 zhào: large and powerful dog
• 獒 áo: dog taller than 4 chi (Chinese feet)
• 猣 zōng: a litter of three puppies
• 師 shī: a litter of two puppies
• 玂 qí: a singleton puppy

The above is adapted from material provided in QIN Yongzhou 秦永洲 and LI Yunquan 李云泉, Zodiac Dogs [Sheng xiao gou 生肖狗] (Jinan: Qilu, 2005) p. 16.

[Incidentally, while I love this current WordPress theme, Chateau, its blockquotes look hideous. I may purchase a style upgrade just so I can bypass the mandatory burnt orange, extra-large italics every time I want to quote something at length, since I do that often. If anyone has hints as to how I can tweak this without having to pay for it, please drop me a line.]

FILM: Masters of the Congo Jungle

Tags

african dogs, basenji, democratic republic of the congo, orson welles, william warfield

Film: Masters of the Congo Jungle
Director: Henry Brandt, Heinz Sielmann
Performers: Orson Welles, William Warfield (narrators, English version)
Production information: Belgian International Scientific Foundation, 1958 (Belgium)
Breed featured: Congolese village dogs (domesticated hunting dogs)

I had expected this documentary filmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the final years of Belgium’s colonial rule (1908 ~ 1960) to unpack the very notion of who “masters” the jungle, as indicated in the title, by charting the political history of this central African region. However, there is no mention of politics or nationality at all. What you get instead is an uncritical safari-ethnography featuring lots of African animals and native dances, all stitched together by sonorous God-narration, courtesy of Orson Welles and William Warfield in the American release.

One segment featuring Barimba men and their hunting dogs begins about 57 minutes into this 90 minute long documentary.

Sensing danger, they turn suddenly. The dog runs forward to scout what’s ahead. Showing a good deal of courage, the dog acts as his master’s antenna.

[gorilla screeches, bursts out of the jungle, chases dog through the bushes]

The intruders put to flight, the gorilla tribe settles down for refuge on the branches for the night.

The dog darts so quickly through the thick foliage, the obscured shot above was the best I could manage. The milliseconds where you can see the dog’s face are so hard to distinguish through the thicket and the low quality video transfer, they weren’t even worth posting.

Then at 1:02…

Why are the men of the baraza so sad this evening? “We eat only bananas and green plants,” says one. Another says, “The game escapes us. Hunting is poor.” They bring their problems to the village master of mystic affairs. He is believed to be the link between man and nature. The chief asks him, “Our spears, our nets, our dogs are useless. Tell us why! Throw the bones, interpret their meaning, we will follow the bidding of the spirits.”

oracle bones

It is a sign of graave events.

“Throw the bones again!”

Then the wizard speaks. “The understanding between you and the world is broken.”

The chief orders, “Tell us why! Why is the understanding broken?”

The soothsayer replies, “It is because the dog has been offended. The dog is angry, and no longer wishes to hunt. The dog is sacred. It is he who stole the fire from the gods to give it to the huntsmen of the forest.” Then the priest blesses the dog with a dried banana and chants the prayer, “Forgive us oh Kabamba [?] oh dog. Tomorrow, go out and hunt many animals, so that we, our wives and our children may eat. Do not seize the leopard or the snake. Only the wild boar and other savory beasts.”

appeasing the offended dog

And so, the offense to the dog is wiped out. For man, speech is power.

Morning has come again. The dogs of central Africa do not bark — a punishment for stealing the fire of the gods. So wooden bells are hung from their necks. The bells are filled with leaves to muffle them, and they’ll be allowed to rattle only when the game is close by.

bringing dog out for belling

[…] Women and children follow after the hunters. In these regions, dogs are scarce. Should one of these dogs die, it’s considered a great calamity.

Then they proceed with the hunt, but the camera remains centered on the activities of the men or the wild animals they’re attempting to capture. Despite the narrative build-up, it’s disappointing how little the dogs actually appear to participate. I hope this doesn’t mean they were shut out of their share of the meat that is finally procured, otherwise I imagine they’ll really have offended the sacred dogs…

The man in front is leading a dog on a rope, walking just outside of the frame.

This probably was a fantastic anthropological feature for its time, preceding the lurid excesses of Mondo Cane and the technical advancements of National Geographic documentaries. I particularly appreciate the sound design, as several sequences masterfully blended environmental ambiance with the rhythmic chants of group dancers to most hypnotic effect. However, nobody bothered to clean up the print for this DVD release, which robs this document of much of its potential richness. Along with the frustrating obstructions that ruined every shot with a dog (believe me, I tried hard to get some clear screen captures but there was very little worth presenting), there’s precious little to see in this film. And if a film is unwatchable, then half the medium’s power has gone to waste…

So is this a dog film? No, not at all. And now that I’ve watched the whole thing, I can attest that anyone who’s hoping for just a glimpse of vintage native Basenji in action won’t find it here. But I was misled by other online summaries, and had to watch the whole thing before I could report my letdown. You need not make the same mistake.

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FILM: Inja (Dog)

Tags

african dogs, apartheid, boerboel, dog movies, racism, south africa

Title: Inja (Dog)
Director: Steve Pasvolsky
Performers: Anele Vellom, Lizo C. Makambi, Danny Keogh, Terry Norton, Nico, Bo.
Breed(s) featured: South African Boerboel
Production Info: Australian Film Television and Radio School / Big World Cinema, 2001
Runtime: 17:04

South Africa, 1980s. Using a young Xhosa boy as a pawn, a farmer teaches his puppy to be white man’s best friend. Ten years later, both their lives hang in the balance at the mercy of the dog. (Description from video link, above)

ADVISORY: No animals were harmed in the making of this film, and there is no blood or gore, but if the suggestion of violence against animals is hard for you to handle, you may not want to watch this.

From small gestures to those writ grand and symbolic, this is a short film that effectively conveys the long-term costs of systemic bigotry and Apartheid. It’s not particularly easy to watch, even if it starts out with a disarmingly cute Boerboel puppy.

Boerboel puppy from Inja (Dog)

Young Thembile and Boerboel puppy

It’s a film that expresses a moral message through the figure of the dog, and as such I have more to say about the humans in this film than the dog. Two scenes stand out to me:

At 6:20 ~ 6:40, the wife Hettie makes an appearance, tries to intervene with not enough urgency in her voice, then retreats helplessly. The effect could merely be a result of understated acting, but for me, it signaled an expression of futility, of exhaustion — she had been witness to this history of Johannes’ cruelty in the past, and already knew there was nothing she could do. In other words, the violence is systemic; as one woman, one wife, she has been made to accept it and turn away — just as the other African women run away when they see the beating that is about to commence.

At 11:35 ~ 12:00, Johannes and an older Thembile share a lunch… and a laugh. I’m still not clear what emotions are registered in this scene, though there’s certainly a range and a passage of conflicting tensions, as the minor incident that initiated Thembile’s first chuckle is not entirely innocent, and rather at his master’s expense.

Scene from Inja (Dog)

This isn’t a fully thought-out analysis, partially because the film deliberately leaves open-ended questions so that you have to let your thoughts tumble about for a bit.

Watch the film above, and let me know what you think. You can also find it on Netflix (or a local video rental store, if you’re lucky!) on a DVD collection entitled Art of the Short Film (which also includes “Mt. Head” [Atama yama] by Koji Yamamura, which has nothing to do with dogs but which I highly recommend as a crazy, surreal piece of Japanese animation for those of you who think anime is all trite and recycled pop fare).

Afya Serengeti – Eradicating Rabies

Tags

africa, african dogs, afya serengeti, intervet, kenya, merck, rabies, schering-plough, serengeti plains, tanzania, vaccinations

Well, this post is only a month late for World Rabies’ Day…

But it hasn’t stopped being relevant.

I stumbled across this campaign, Afya Serengeti, Health for Serengeti, which aims to control the spread and eventually eradicate rabies in the Serengeti Plains (Kenya and Tanzania). The campaign is sponsored in part by Intervet/Schering-Plough, a subsidiary of Merck.

Photo from the project photo page

It seems that Intervet is promoting the campaign through US veterinary clinics. For every dose of an Intervet-manufactured vaccine administered (there’s a list on the website), the company will donate a dose of rabies vaccine to the project.

They also have a click campaign which anyone can participate in. For every 5000 verified clicks received via the button on the front page of the site (unique visitor counts apparently don’t matter), Intervet will donate an undisclosed amount of “resources.” Every click also enrolls you in a chance to win a $50 iTunes gift certificate if you fill out some information and include a photo of your pet as a “message of support” to the program.

I don’t know the details about the project’s management other than what’s on the site, but I agree with the motivating premise that rabies should be preventable in this day and age, and that we should have the resources to do something about it. The gravity of the disease is something I seldom considered while living in both the United States and Taiwan, the latter of which is a rabies-free island, achieved partially through the tragedy of massive dog culls in the 1980s — something that would not be feasible in parts of the world where dogs share as close a relationship to basic modes of daily life as they do in parts of Africa.

Q: How is the relationship between dogs and people here?

A: Dogs are worth a lot to us. First they are watchdogs. They warn us if something is wrong. They can also bring food to our home, when they catch an animal. Meat costs 3000 shillings per kg. The dog brings 10 kg for free.

(from Episode 5 of the website’s video presentations)

And these dogs belong with their people, and are both good with and good for them. It was previously assumed that there were far too many roaming strays to ever successfully implement a rabies vaccination campaign. However, as the folks from Afya Serengeti show, these dogs have names, homes, and humans who will happily bring them in for free vaccinations.

Photo from the project photo page

I found the video presentations to be most persuasive. Check the tab for Serengeti Movies for five well-produced clips (by Ten10 Films) on how the project is carried out at a grassroots, village level. I recommend watching at least the first episode with Sarah Cleaveland, who speaks cogently about the inception of the project and introduces the personnel involved, and the fourth and fifth episodes which contain lots of amazing footage of villagers and their wide variety of dogs. Okay, I liked episode two and three as well, for their presentation of the personalities behind the campaign and the vivid examples of old-school advertising techniques like loudspeaker jeeps, respectively. It’s all very inspiring.

The House of Two Bows baroos in support of the folks at the Carnivore Disease Project House!