A close look at a specific type of animal provides insight into the evolution of livestock management.
Phillip Sponenberg, a professor of pathology and genetics at Virginia Tech, profiles Choctaw hogs.
Dr. Phillip Sponenberg is a professor of pathology and genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Sponenberg received his DVM from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from Cornell University in 1979. He joined the faculty of the college in 1981. Sponenberg’s research interests are genetics of domesticated animals, coat color genetics, conservation of rare breeds of livestock, diagnostic pathology, and reproductive pathology. Sponenberg is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. Sponenberg also serves as the technical programs director of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Choctaw Hogs
Animal production of today sometimes bears slight resemblance to that of the past. Choctaw hog production is a good example. The Choctaw nation was displaced from Mississippi to Oklahoma in the 1830s, bringing with them Spanish hogs, horses, dogs, and cattle.
Traditional Choctaw hog management survived intact until recently. Hogs were turned loose into the woods to transform acorns, snakes, and hickory nuts into piglets. Hogs were periodically caught, with the help of capable hog dogs. The piglets’ ears were notched with the same owner’s mark as their mother. They were then turned loose to grow a bit more. Anyone caught misnotching piglets was likely to have a shortened lifespan himself!
Hogs of intermediate size that were not intended for breeding were brought to the farmstead to be fattened on corn. Corn results in a good-tasting pork lacking the wild taste based on an acorn diet, and local demand for such pork was high.
Choctaw hogs were a good match for the traditional system. Most were black, and had a single toe on each foot instead of the usual two of most hogs. They had a pair of fleshy wattles hanging down from the neck. The mulefeet and wattles are found throughout the Americas wherever Spanish hogs landed. Erect ears and alert attitudes kept them safe from predators. They were clever at avoiding people and dogs. Athletic ability and brains were topnotch, matching well to the rugged Kiamichi Mountain environment.
Traditions in the area faded when modern conveniences arrived. Numbers of traditional hogs declined. A few survivors of old Choctaw hogs do survive, and are now the target of a recovery program by the Livestock Conservancy. The old extensive system is difficult to completely replace, so fences will keep the hogs from ranging as widely as their ancestors, but their traditional type and ability will still be alive and available.
