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Large canids (wolves, dogs, and coyote) and people form a close relationship in northern (subarctic and arctic) socioecological systems. Here, we document the antiquity of this bond and the multiple ways it manifested in interior Alaska, a region key to understanding the peopling of the Americas and early northern lifeways. We compile original and existing genomic, isotopic, and osteological canid data from archaeological, paleontological, and modern sites. Results show that in contrast to canids recovered in non-anthropic contexts, canids recovered in association with human occupations are markedly diverse. They include multiple species and intraspecific lineages, morphological variation, and diets ranging from terrestrial to marine. This variation is expressed along both geographic and temporal gradients, starting in the terminal Pleistocene with canids showing high marine dietary estimates. This paper provides evidence of the multiple ecological relationships between canids and people in the north—from predation, probable commensalism, and taming, to domestication—and of their early onset. 

Las personas que vivían en Mesoamérica y lo que ahora es el este y suroeste de los Estados Unidos usaban pavos ( Meleagris gallopavo ) como fuente de carne, huevos, huesos y plumas. La cría y la domesticación de pavos están confirmadas en dos de estas regiones (Mesoamérica y el suroeste de los Estados Unidos), pero las interacciones entre humanos y pavos en el parte este de Norteamérica (el este de los Estados Unidos y Canadá) no se exploran completamente. Aplicamos análisis de isótopos estables (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) y de ADN mitocondrial antiguo a muestras de arqueofauna de siete sitios en el sureste de los Estados Unidos para determinar si los pavos fueron manejados o criados en cautiverio. Estos datos combinados no apoyan la cría en cautividad prolongada o intensiva de pavos, y la evidencia de un manejo menos intensivo es ambigua. Se necesita más investigación para determinar si la gente manejó pavos en estas áreas y si esto es generalizable. Determinar si los pavos fueron manejados o criados en el sureste de los Estados Unidos ayuda a definir los factores culturales y ambientales relacionados con el manejo o la cría de pavos en toda Norteamérica . Esta investigación contribuye a la discusión de los roles de las interacciones intensificadas entre humanos y animales en la domesticación animal. 

The earliest Native Americans have often been portrayed as either megafaunal specialists or generalist foragers, but this debate cannot be resolved by studying the faunal record alone. Stable isotope analysis directly reveals the foods consumed by individuals. We present multi-tissue isotope analyses of two Ancient Beringian infants from the Upward Sun River site (USR), Alaska (~11,500 years ago). Models of fetal bone turnover combined with seasonally-sensitive taxa show that the carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of USR infant bone collagen reflects maternal diets over the summer. Using comparative faunal isotope data, we demonstrate that although terrestrial sources dominated maternal diets, salmon was also important, supported by carbon isotope analysis of essential amino acids and bone bioapatite. Tooth enamel samples indicate increased salmon use between spring and summer. Our results do not support either strictly megafaunal specialists or generalized foragers but indicate that Ancient Beringian diets were complex and seasonally structured.