| Summary: | Although the domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris ) is today ubiquitous throughout most of South America, it may have been a relatively late arrival in Amazonia. A dog’s comparative value to contemporary indigenous people in the tropical lowlands of Northeastern South America relates directly to its role in hunting; otherwise, it can be regarded with the same ambivalence attributed to other exotic domesticates, most of which tend to be poorly integrated into indigenous human societies. Despite cultivating a formidable array of native plants and demonstrating a marked proclivity for pets, indigenous Amazonians had few, if any, native animal domesticates. The elaborate esteem bestowed on valued hunting dogs by indigenous societies in Northeastern South America can contrast markedly with their attitude toward other exotic animal domesticates. This is likely rooted in their ontological perspectives of animal others and may be based upon a pre-Columbian template of tamed autochthonous canids.
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