| Abstract: |
When people spread across the islands of the Pacific they did not travel alone. Often dogs, pigs, chickens and rats were part of these migrations. Analyses of animal bones recovered from archaeological sites routinely encounter both these introductions and native species. Their presence comes as no surprise, as the tendency to form complex relationships with other species is a notable human trait (O’Connor 2010), and the migrants came from cultures where domestic animals had long been a part of their way of life. This chapter is concerned with the relationship between people and one of these domesticated animals, the dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Here we examine the current knowledge about dog origins, dispersal and distribution throughout Southeast Asia and into the Pacific and their interactions with people, and explore the implications of these for understanding the settlement history of the Asia–Pacific region.
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