A recent study published in American Antiquity by researchers from the University of Iowa revealed that the first English settlers to arrive in North America resorted to eating indigenous dogs to survive an extreme period of starvation.

A scene of a street in Jamestown, circa 1650 (Keith Rocco, artist). Credit: National Park Service

The study, conducted by a team led by Ariane E. Thomas, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Iowa, analyzed genetic material from archaeological specimens of dogs that lived in Jamestown between 1609 and 1617 CE.

The researchers uncovered surprising evidence that at least six dogs in Jamestown had unmistakable Native American ancestry and were consumed by the settlers during a period of severe starvation known as the Starving Time. These dogs shared genetic similarities with canines from the Hopewellian, Mississippian, and Late Woodland periods of eastern North America.

This discovery suggests that early European colonists heavily relied on local Indigenous groups for survival, especially during the initial settlement phase. The presence of Indigenous dogs in Jamestown reflects a more complex relationship between the British settlers and the Powhatan people than previously ᴀssumed.

Composite map of butchery and impact marks across dog skeletons. Credit: Ariane E. Thomas et al. American Antiquity (2024)

The archaeological evidence, including bone modifications consistent with butchering and consumption, indicates that the settlers resorted to eating dogs during times of extreme hardship. This practice, while taboo in modern Western societies, was not uncommon in Europe during periods of stress.

The Starving Time, marked by food shortages, disease, violence with Indigenous tribes, and harsh environmental conditions, took a devastating toll on the Jamestown community, with up to 90% of the settlers perishing. George Percy, one of the original colonists, documented the desperation of the time, including instances of cannibalism and the consumption of vermin and domestic animals.

Furthermore, the genetic analysis of the dogs highlights the social entanglement between colonizers and Indigenous communities. Dogs served as both a connection and a source of tension between the two cultures.

Lead researcher Ariane E. Thomas said: “The ancestry of the Jamestown dogs provides insight into European and Indigenous management of their dogs. Dogs with ancestry predominantly from Europe suggest that either British, Powhatan, or both groups kept their dogs from interacting with each other to maintain specific behaviors or observable phenotypes important to that group.

“Identifying Indigenous dogs at Jamestown suggests a more complex engagement between the British and Powhatan peoples… This second, more complex dynamic is more representative of history,” she added.

More information: Thomas AE, Hill ME, Stricker L, et al. (2024). The Dogs of Tsenacomoco: Ancient DNA Reveals the Presence of Local Dogs at Jamestown Colony in the Early Seventeenth Century. American Antiquity:1-19. doi:10.1017/aaq.2024.25