[Willard "Buddy" Joseph]
We were researching for our book. And of course, that meant going to the Smithsonian. And, you know, about that time, maybe a couple of years before the Smithsonian realized they had Mutton in their collection.
So I think it was 2008, you know, we go to the mall, and we have to catch a bus actually, to the archive is like a 45-minute ride.
And, we get there and yeah, here's Mutton he was in this drawer. He's in there with wolves and coyotes. And so, he doesn’t have his own little special place in there.
Remember also, you know, there were people saying that, you know, First Nations couldn't have bred a dog. And if I'm not mistaken, even some scientists were saying that.
We always, of course, know in our heart and mind that we had a dog. And so, when that came up, that was pretty incredible for us to be able to — you know, it was laid out on a table. We were able to, you know, touch and you see the card hairs and everything like that.
So that was very special to us. Of course, we came home and just kept talking about it. And of course, now and more recently, DNA testing confirms more, you know, our people did breed a dog.
And I think, you know, one thing that when I first started weaving was, somebody actually had to sit down and figure this all out. Very intelligent people figured this stuff out. And so, I think for me, that's what it was about.
It says a lot about our people, you know, that the culture and the practices have been in existence for an awful long time. And so, when I talk about, know the need to share that knowledge, especially when you get to see the pelt, for me, that's striking.
