I was researching the Taino spirit dog, Opielguobiran, and came across this. I've always thought that we had dogs that had not crossed with the mastifs and other later imported breeds.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indigenous_peoples_literature/message/24817

Our distinctive brindles for instance. And those red nosed yellow ones.

I guess my five+ generation of daagpupa did keep certain vibes at bay in town.

As the Hippies used to say,in their drug induced stupor "far out!" It is amazing the things with which people occupy their brains.
Can you imagine if all of the resources which are now channeled in to non-essentials like sports,entertainment and useless research, were used for real research and helping the less fortunate, how much more advanced we would be. Something is very wrong with a world where someone like Usain Bolt is a millionaire,while many great scientists have died poor or can't get funding for worthwhile research. yeah,far out,dude!
A BLESSED EASTER TO ALL

Usain Bolt train hard to get a piece of the bread, many scienties,humanist live and die as paupers but happy and I salute them. Many people write lies in history books and make the "bag." Like "concoctions' about Christopher Columbus and his crew who did as they please with my great grand mothers, like the few who sold Jamaican sugar, banana, rum and coffee for millions while the labourers cannot by a decent dinner or properly school their children.For most people in my neck of the woods where i grew up,a game of cricket is more anticipated than wealth; and a cungo jo of black eye peas from a neighbour is valued more that hopes of a million dollars.Greed for wealth creates envy, jealousy and evil.In my opinion,the old Jamaican model of hard work,neighbourliness, honesty, family unity and religous values nutured our people much more than the dollars driven lifestyle of today. Respect is due to everone's opionion.Just remember the Jamaican proverb,"Rockstone a river bottom don't know hot sun." How nice was the era of the bath pan when life was real ! native

Spooky Dude, I share your sentiment in reguards to what people do with their time and energy,but it is unfortunate that you should have singled Usain. There are countless number of people in the world who have made millions through sports & entertainment. Afterall, at the end of a hard days work helping the less fortunate, you need to relax and unwind.

Truism is established when you realize that it is not your research but your accomplishment that pays.

I used Usain not to single him out in any negative way. I am happy for him and others who make use of the system, but I can't help but be amazed at the misplaced values of society. Of course entertainment is a valuable part of our existence, but fanatic behaviour betrays a certain lack of self-worth. I love cricket. but I would never lose any sleep watching it.Of course the word fan has been used to replace the more accurate fanatic, to diminish the negative implications. As you know if there weren't fans all that money wouldn't be splashing around.
The most boring people are fans of one type or the other, sports,political,'music'...

Turey do you know if the Maroons used these dogs for tracking or hunting?

I can only guess that the Taino traditions were carried into the isolated areas they fled to and were carried on by their decendant Maroons Student. Snr F M Padron's 'Spanish Jamaica' offers a good context of early Jamaica through the eyes of a Spanish historian and may suggest answers to this. Hog hunting Maroons use their packs of dogs to hunt today, is this an old tradition? Someone born and bred Maroon would be the best to answer this.

Maybe our fear of black mouth and brindle dogs are memories of the mastifs that were used to hunt humans? Those that are daag mumma and puppa may have better memories of our best friends.

During my time in primary school we were thought that the Arawak ( which is now believed to be Taino) had a breed of barkless dogs that were valuable to them for hunting.

Aon and alco are words I've read that refer to Taino dogs Bathpan, I also heard that they were barkless.

Check these Carib dogs: http://alturl.com/xi6ih

We had some brindles that were like the one in the canoe.

Spooky Dude, you expressed yourself well and much respect to you.Just find your comment in so many words that you love cricket but you would not loose any sleep to watch it so different from the norm on my corners when I was growing up.Most of my friends and myself had sleepless nights not watching cricket but listening on the radio.But we enjoyed that more than going to a dance and being there until dog fraid and duppy start walk.Next morning business as usual.There was a home with two big bringle bull dogs that it was alleged used to eat people goats at night.The nights we stayed up listening cricket there were never any reports of dogs attacking goats and duppies hold them corner.It tek all kinds of people to make the world go round. native