It’s all about Relationship

If we seek to understand why a community behaves in certain ways towards their dog population, we must first look at those animals through the lens of that community’s world view.  The power of an ancient canid – human bond, is easily misunderstood but is not to be underestimated.  For many ancient cultures, dogs were the first non-human animals who provided companionship; they helped with hunting; they learned to understand basic human speech in order to respond to commands and they actually answered back when yelled at. (Rose, 2011).  These traits and their ability to interact with humans have inserted them into a unique place in the structure of society, somewhere between non-human and human. 

These bonds have seen humans and canids travelling together over thousands of years.  Indeed, the Bali dog has travelled alongside her people, and has borne witness to attempts at colonization, war, natural tragedy etc. etc. The Bali dog has not sat as a neutral observer to these events but has been subjected to the same processes as her people, if not with the same consequences.  She has, in the Australian Aboriginal sense of the term, borne witness.

This witnessing together, of monumental world altering changes, the closeness of cohabitation, the necessity of sharing time, space and food has generated a bond between the Bali dog and her people.  Musharbash (2017), suggests that this human-canid long-term co-residency and the familiarity it brings can manifest in the characteristics and social practices found in any society where humans and canines co-evolved.  The Bali dog’s unique ability to remember you no matter how long ago you met; their innate proficiency in seeing you coming long before you see them and capacity to amass in large number’s when action occurs within their Banjar are just some skills that are definitely reflected in her people and community. 

These ancient connections and reciprocal behaviour is summed up precisely by Ojoade (2003) in his observation that the role of the dog in Nigerian culture, his culture, is considerably more important than the role held in Western cultures, as Western cultures generally lack dog lore. 

Understanding another’s world view does not signify an acceptance of that world view.  It is simply an appreciation, an acknowledgment of difference and a point at which conversations can start.   
 
References
Musharbash, Y., 2017. Telling Warlpiri Dog Stories. Anthropological Forum, 27(2), pp. 95-113.
Ojoade, 2003. Signifying Animals. s.l.:Routledge.
Rose, D. B., 2011. Wild Dog Dreaming. Love and Extincion. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.