The Gourd Dance is a Kiowa dance and song tradition that has become popular at modern powwows in southwestern Oklahoma .
88-462: Many Native Americans dispute the origin of the legend of the Gourd Dance. A Kiowa story recounts the tale of a young man who had been separated from the rest of the tribe. Hungry and dehydrated after many days of travel, the young man approached a hill and heard an unusual kind of singing coming from the other side. There he saw a red wolf singing and dancing on its hind legs. The man listened to
176-696: A U.S. Air Force bombing range, and private land. The red wolf recovery program is unique for a large carnivore reintroduction in that more than half of the land used for reintroduction lies on private property. Approximately 680,000 acres (2,800 km ) are federal and state lands, and 1,002,000 acres (4,050 km ) are private lands. Beginning in 1991, red wolves were also released into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee. However, due to exposure to environmental disease (parvovirus), parasites, and competition (with coyotes as well as intraspecific aggression),
264-491: A black fringed shawl wrapped above the black shawl to secure it. Today these are accompanied with a long sleeved shirt, bolo tie or tie. Head attire can include hair wrapped with otter wraps, a roach or otter cap. Following Kiowa protocol, it is considered disrespectful to wear ball caps, T-shirts, cowboy hats or boots while participating in this dance. The four Kiowa headsman of this society urge its members to dress with dignity and discretion. Like pow-wow dancing, Gourd Dancing
352-428: A circle by surrounding it with regular polygons . The perimeter of a polygon equals the sum of the lengths of its sides (edges) . In particular, the perimeter of a rectangle of width w {\displaystyle w} and length ℓ {\displaystyle \ell } equals 2 w + 2 ℓ . {\displaystyle 2w+2\ell .} An equilateral polygon
440-438: A close, a fast song is usually the last to be performed, but it is not the "official" closing song. Sometimes buffalo songs will be sung after that last gourd dance song. Red wolf The red wolf ( Canis rufus ) is a canine native to the southeastern United States . Its size is intermediate between the coyote ( Canis latrans ) and gray wolf ( Canis lupus ). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being
528-610: A different population from the red wolves in the North Carolina captive breeding program, there has been a proposal to selectively cross-breed the Galveston Island coyotes into the captive red wolf population. Another study published around the same time analyzing canid scat and hair samples in southwestern Louisiana found genetic evidence of red wolf ancestry in about 55% of sampled canids, with one such individual having between 78 and 100% red wolf ancestry, suggesting
616-626: A landowner shot and killed a female red wolf after being authorized a take permit, causing a public outcry. In response, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit against the USFWS for violating the Endangered Species Act. By 2016, the red wolf population of North Carolina had declined to 45–60 wolves. The largest cause of this decline was gunshot. In June 2018, the USFWS announced
704-420: A litter of pups in the wild. On March 1, 2021, two male red wolves from Florida were paired with two female wild red wolves from eastern North Carolina and released into the wild. One of the male wolves was killed by a car shortly after being released into the wild. On April 30 and May 1, four adult red wolves were released into the wild and four red wolf pups were fostered by a wild female red wolf. In addition to
792-408: A piece from a figure, its area decreases but its perimeter may not. The convex hull of a figure may be visualized as the shape formed by a rubber band stretched around it. In the animated picture on the left, all the figures have the same convex hull; the big, first hexagon . The isoperimetric problem is to determine a figure with the largest area, amongst those having a given perimeter. The solution
880-441: A proposal that would limit the wolves' safe range to only Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where only about 35 wolves remain, thus allowing hunting on private land. In November 2018, Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle found that the USFWS had violated its congressional mandate to protect the red wolf, and ruled that USFWS had no power to give landowners the right to shoot them. Since before European colonization of
968-400: A reduction) of a shape make its area grow (or decrease) as well as its perimeter. For example, if a field is drawn on a 1/10,000 scale map, the actual field perimeter can be calculated multiplying the drawing perimeter by 10,000. The real area is 10,000 times the area of the shape on the map. Nevertheless, there is no relation between the area and the perimeter of an ordinary shape. For example,
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#17327831157711056-477: A separate species has been contentious for nearly a century, being classified either as a subspecies of the gray wolf Canis lupus rufus , or a coywolf (a genetic admixture of wolf and coyote). Because of this, it is sometimes excluded from endangered species lists, despite its critically low numbers. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes
1144-414: A total of six red wolves had been killed, including the four adults that had been released in the spring. Three of the released adults had been killed in vehicle collisions, two had died from unknown cases, and the fourth released adult had been shot by a landowner who feared the wolf was attempting to get his chickens. These losses dropped the number of wolves in the wild down to about 20 wild individuals. In
1232-512: A triangle is a segment from the midpoint of a side of a triangle to the opposite side such that the perimeter is divided into two equal lengths. The three cleavers of a triangle all intersect each other at the triangle's Spieker center . The perimeter of a circle , often called the circumference, is proportional to its diameter and its radius . That is to say, there exists a constant number pi , π (the Greek p for perimeter), such that if P
1320-524: A wheel/circle (its circumference) describes how far it will roll in one revolution . Similarly, the amount of string wound around a spool is related to the spool's perimeter; if the length of the string was exact, it would equal the perimeter. The perimeter is the distance around a shape. Perimeters for more general shapes can be calculated, as any path , with ∫ 0 L d s {\textstyle \int _{0}^{L}\mathrm {d} s} , where L {\displaystyle L}
1408-494: Is a polygon which has all sides of the same length (for example, a rhombus is a 4-sided equilateral polygon). To calculate the perimeter of an equilateral polygon, one must multiply the common length of the sides by the number of sides. A regular polygon may be characterized by the number of its sides and by its circumradius , that is to say, the constant distance between its centre and each of its vertices . The length of its sides can be calculated using trigonometry . If R
1496-469: Is a regular polygon's radius and n is the number of its sides, then its perimeter is A splitter of a triangle is a cevian (a segment from a vertex to the opposite side) that divides the perimeter into two equal lengths, this common length being called the semiperimeter of the triangle. The three splitters of a triangle all intersect each other at the Nagel point of the triangle. A cleaver of
1584-517: Is avoided because it results in progeny with reduced fitness ( inbreeding depression ) that is predominantly caused by the homozygous expression of recessive deleterious alleles. Prior to its extinction in the wild, the red wolf's diet consisted of rabbits, rodents, and nutria (an introduced species). In contrast, the red wolves from the restored population rely on white-tailed deer , pig , raccoon , rice rats , muskrats , nutria, rabbits and carrion . White-tailed deer were largely absent from
1672-408: Is described by the theory of Caccioppoli sets . Polygons are fundamental to determining perimeters, not only because they are the simplest shapes but also because the perimeters of many shapes are calculated by approximating them with sequences of polygons tending to these shapes. The first mathematician known to have used this kind of reasoning is Archimedes , who approximated the perimeter of
1760-424: Is important in the calculation. The computation of the digits of π is relevant to many fields, such as mathematical analysis , algorithmics and computer science . The perimeter and the area are two main measures of geometric figures. Confusing them is a common error, as well as believing that the greater one of them is, the greater the other must be. Indeed, a commonplace observation is that an enlargement (or
1848-418: Is intuitive; it is the circle . In particular, this can be used to explain why drops of fat on a broth surface are circular. This problem may seem simple, but its mathematical proof requires some sophisticated theorems. The isoperimetric problem is sometimes simplified by restricting the type of figures to be used. In particular, to find the quadrilateral , or the triangle, or another particular figure, with
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#17327831157711936-506: Is less energetic and less physically demanding than most pow-wow dances. Some of the Gourd Dances that are held go on all afternoon and on into the evening when it finally cools off enough so that more energetic Intertribal dances can begin. Some Tribal dances feature only Gourd Dancing. Modern Gourd Dance regalia consists of a red and blue blanket draped over the shoulders. (This accessory represents night and day). Some dancers change
2024-460: Is performed in a circular arena. The drum can be placed on the side or in the center of the arena. The dancers take their place around the perimeter of the area. During most of the song, the dancers dance in place, lifting their feet in time to the drumbeats, and shaking their rattles from side to side. At certain points in the singing, the drum beat changes to harder beats. At this point, the dancers will dance in place. When it changes to softer beats
2112-430: Is slight. In 1940, the biologist Stanley P. Young noted that the red wolf was still common in eastern Texas, where more than 800 had been caught in 1939 because of their attacks on livestock. He did not believe that they could be exterminated because of their habit of living concealed in thickets. In 1962 a study of skull morphology of wild Canis in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas indicated that
2200-468: Is the circle's perimeter and D its diameter then, In terms of the radius r of the circle, this formula becomes, To calculate a circle's perimeter, knowledge of its radius or diameter and the number π suffices. The problem is that π is not rational (it cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers ), nor is it algebraic (it is not a root of a polynomial equation with rational coefficients). So, obtaining an accurate approximation of π
2288-689: Is the length of the path and d s {\displaystyle ds} is an infinitesimal line element. Both of these must be replaced by algebraic forms in order to be practically calculated. If the perimeter is given as a closed piecewise smooth plane curve γ : [ a , b ] → R 2 {\displaystyle \gamma :[a,b]\to \mathbb {R} ^{2}} with then its length L {\displaystyle L} can be computed as follows: A generalized notion of perimeter, which includes hypersurfaces bounding volumes in n {\displaystyle n} - dimensional Euclidean spaces ,
2376-592: Is typical of the genus Canis , and is generally intermediate in size between the coyote and gray wolf, though some specimens may overlap in size with small gray wolves. A study of Canis morphometrics conducted in eastern North Carolina reported that red wolves are morphometrically distinct from coyotes and hybrids. Adults measure 136–165 cm (53.5–65 in) in length, comprising a tail of about 37 cm (14.6 in). Their weight ranges from 20 to 39 kg (44–85 lbs) with males averaging 29 kg (64 lbs) and females 25 kg (55 lbs). Its pelage
2464-433: Is typically more reddish and sparsely furred than the coyote's and gray wolf's, though melanistic individuals do occur. Its fur is generally tawny to grayish in color, with light markings around the lips and eyes. The red wolf has been compared by some authors to the greyhound in general form, owing to its relatively long and slender limbs. The ears are also proportionately larger than the coyote's and gray wolf's. The skull
2552-462: Is typically narrow, with a long and slender rostrum , a small braincase and a well developed sagittal crest . Its cerebellum is unlike that of other Canis species, being closer in form to that of canids of the Vulpes and Urocyon genera , thus indicating that the red wolf is one of the more plesiomorphic members of its genus. The red wolf is more sociable than the coyote, but less so than
2640-575: The Gulf Coast of western Louisiana and eastern Texas . Fourteen of these survivors were selected to be the founders of a captive-bred population, which was established in the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium between 1974 and 1980. After a successful experimental relocation to Bulls Island off the coast of South Carolina in 1978, the red wolf was declared extinct in the wild in 1980 so that restoration efforts could proceed. In 1987,
2728-535: The Mississippi Valley red wolf ( Canis rufus gregoryi ) (south-central United States) was declared extinct by 1980. By the 1970s, the Texas red wolf ( Canis rufus rufus ) existed only in the coastal prairies and marshes of extreme southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. These were removed from the wild to form a captive breeding program and reintroduced into eastern North Carolina in 1987. In 1967,
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2816-488: The Point Defiance Zoological Gardens, Tacoma, Washington . Four hundred animals were captured from southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas from 1973 to 1980 by the USFWS. Measurements, vocalization analyses, and skull X-rays were used to distinguish red wolves from coyotes and red wolf × coyote hybrids. Of the 400 canids captured, only 43 were believed to be red wolves and sent to
2904-634: The US Fish and Wildlife Service , the population has declined to 40 individuals in 2018, about 14 in 2019 and 8 as of October 2021. No wild litters were born between 2019 and 2020. Under pressure from conservation groups, the US Fish and Wildlife Service resumed reintroductions in 2021 and increased protection. In 2022, the first wild litter was born since 2018. As of 2023, there are between 15 and 17 wild red wolves in ARNWR. The red wolf's appearance
2992-533: The breeding pairs of adult red wolves produced a litter of six wolf pups, four females and two males. This new litter of red wolf pups became the first litter born in the wild since 2018. As of 2023, there are between 15 and 17 wild red wolves in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. In April and May 2023, two captive male red wolves were paired with two wild female wolves in acclimation pens and were later released into
3080-700: The southeastern United States from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to Central Texas and southeastern Missouri. Research into paleontological, archaeological and historical specimens of red wolves by Ronald Nowak expanded their known range to include land south of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada, along the eastern seaboard, and west to Missouri and mid-Illinois, terminating in
3168-570: The Americas , the red wolf has featured prominently in Cherokee spiritual beliefs , where it is known as wa'ya (ᏩᏯ), and is said to be the companion of Kana'ti - the hunter and father of the Aniwaya or Wolf Clan. Traditionally, Cherokee people generally avoid killing red wolves, as such an act is believed to bring about the vengeance of the killed animals' pack-mates. The taxonomic status of
3256-684: The Gourd Dance was out of normal practice by the late 1930s. In 1957 the Kiowa Director for the American Indian Exposition, Fred Tsoodle, called upon singers Bill Koomsa and William Tanedooah who remembered the Gourd Dance songs. Also called were Clyde Ahtape, Harry Hall Zotigh, Fred Botone, Oliver Tanedooah, and Abel Big Bow in Kiowa Gourd Dance dress to dance to the songs for a special tribal presentation at that year's festivities. Two years later inspired by
3344-546: The Kiowa TiaPiah Society). All three societies hold their annual ceremonials on and around July 4, due to the Gourd Dance at one time being a part of the Sun Dance ceremonials usually held in mid-summer. The variations on the word "Tia-Piah" used in the names of Kiowa Gourd Dance organizations comes from Jài:fè:gàu (Tdeinpei-gah) [IPA: tãi.peː.gɔ] one of the eight Kiowa warrior societies. Perhaps because of
3432-582: The Kiowa summer ceremonials before and after the gourd dance sessions. The Gourd Dance originated with the Kiowa tribe, and is a man's dance. Women participate by dancing in place behind their male counterparts and outside the perimeter formed by the men. The dance in the Kiowa Language is called "Ti-ah pi-ah" which means "ready to go, ready to die". The Kiowa consider this dance as their dance since it
3520-456: The USFWS ceased implementing the red wolf adaptive management plan that was responsible for preventing red wolf hybridization with coyotes and allowed the release of captive-born red wolves into the wild population. Since then, the wild population has decreased from 100–115 red wolves to less than 30. Despite the controversy over the red wolf's status as a unique taxon as well as the USFWS' apparent disinterest towards wolf conservation in
3608-440: The blanket to rest over the heart red during the day and blue after dark. A skunk berry (Ka-hole) and silver beaded bandolier fastened on the left shoulder is draped across the heart. The red skunk berry bandolier was added as a memorial tribute to a battle fought with Cheyenne warriors. The aftermath left the land covered with red blood and is represented by the red skunk berries. A handkerchief bundle of Indian perfume, gathered from
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3696-469: The breeding facility. The first litters were produced in captivity in May ;1977. Some of the pups were determined to be hybrids, and they and their parents were removed from the program. Of the original 43 animals, only 17 were considered pure red wolves and since three were unable to breed, 14 became the breeding stock for the captive-breeding program. These 14 were so closely related that they had
3784-744: The captive animals were released into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) on the Albemarle Peninsula in North Carolina , with a second unsuccessful release taking place two years later in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Of 63 red wolves released from 1987 to 1994, the population rose to as many as 100–120 individuals in 2012, but due to the lack of regulation enforcement by
3872-469: The coastal islands in Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina as part of the captive breeding management plan. St. Vincent Island in Florida is currently the only active island propagation site. After the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 , formal efforts backed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began to save the red wolf from extinction, when a captive-breeding program was established at
3960-588: The coyote's range was limited to the western half of the continent. They existed in the arid areas and across the open plains, including the prairie regions of the midwestern states. Early explorers found some in Indiana and Wisconsin. From the mid-1800s onward, coyotes began expanding beyond their original range. The taxonomic debate regarding North American wolves can be summarised as follows: There are two prevailing evolutionary models for North American Canis : and The paleontologist Ronald M. Nowak notes that
4048-399: The dancers will dance a short distance from their spots. Typically, the dance begins in the afternoon, and the opening song (referred to as a "Calling Song") is sung first. The head singer will determine how many songs are sung in a set. Usually the slower paced songs are sung in the beginning and progressively faster songs are sung as the gourd dance progresses. When the gourd dance draws to
4136-419: The debate. Perimeter A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length . The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference . Calculating the perimeter has several practical applications. A calculated perimeter is the length of fence required to surround a yard or garden. The perimeter of
4224-425: The eight released wolves, the total number of red wolves living in the wild amount to nearly thirty wild individuals, including a dozen other wolves not wearing radio collars. A study published in 2020 reported camera traps recorded "the presence of a large canid possessing wolf-like characters" in northeast Texas and later hair samples and tracks from the area indicated the presence of red wolves. By fall of 2021,
4312-549: The five-county restoration area in eastern North Carolina. A 2014 court-approved settlement agreement was reached that banned nighttime hunting of coyotes and requires permitting and reporting coyote hunting. In response to the settlement, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission adopted a resolution requesting the USFWS to remove all wild red wolves from private lands, terminate recovery efforts, and declare red wolves extinct in
4400-480: The foothills, is tied to the back of the bandolier. A metal rattle to accompany the drumbeat and a feathered fan usually are held in opposite hands. Normally Kiowa Gourd Clan members do not use real gourds in this dance because they are associated with the Native American Church ceremonies. Traditionally dressed gourd dancers wear buckskin leggings and a long, red breechcloth. These are covered by
4488-841: The future. These sites were chosen based on prey levels, isolation from coyotes and human development, and connectivity with other sites. These sites include: the Apalachicola and Osceola National Forests along with the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and nearby protected lands; numerous national parks and national forests in the Appalachian Mountains including the Monongahela , George Washington & Jefferson , Cherokee , Pisgah , Nantahala , Chattahoochee , and Talladega National Forests along with Shenandoah National Park and
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#17327831157714576-525: The genetic effect of being only eight individuals. In 1996, the red wolf was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered species . Over 30 facilities participate in the red wolf Species Survival Plan and oversee the breeding and reintroduction of over 150 wolves. In 2007, the USFWS estimated that 300 red wolves remained in the world, with 207 of those in captivity. By late 2020,
4664-428: The genus Canis ' natural history, Xiaoming Wang , looked at red wolf fossil material but could not state if it was, or was not, a separate species. He said that Nowak had put together more morphometric data on red wolves than anybody else, but Nowak's statistical analysis of the data revealed a red wolf that is difficult to deal with. Wang proposes that studies of ancient DNA taken from fossils might help settle
4752-633: The gray wolf. It mates in January–February, with an average of 6–7 pups being born in March, April, and May. It is monogamous, with both parents participating in the rearing of young. Denning sites include hollow tree trunks, along stream banks and the abandoned earths of other animals. By the age of six weeks, the pups distance themselves from the den, and reach full size at the age of one year, becoming sexually mature two years later. Using long-term data on red wolf individuals of known pedigree, it
4840-403: The largest area amongst those with the same shape having a given perimeter. The solution to the quadrilateral isoperimetric problem is the square , and the solution to the triangle problem is the equilateral triangle . In general, the polygon with n sides having the largest area and a given perimeter is the regular polygon , which is closer to being a circle than is any irregular polygon with
4928-628: The last wild refuge of red wolves on the Gulf Coast between Texas and Louisiana (where specimens were trapped from the last wild population for captive breeding), which likely accounts for the discrepancy in their dietary habits listed here. Historical accounts of wolves in the southeast by early explorers such as William Hilton , who sailed along the Cape Fear River in what is now North Carolina in 1644, also note that they ate deer. The originally recognized red wolf range extended throughout
5016-447: The long-term persistence of the population. The report stated that the USFWS needed to update its red wolf recovery plan, thoroughly evaluate its strategy for preventing coyote hybridization and increase its public outreach. In 2014, the USFWS issued the first take permit for a red wolf to a private landowner. Since then, the USFWS issued several other take permits to landowners in the five-county restoration area. During June 2015,
5104-562: The lower elevations of Great Smoky Mountains National Park ; Croatoan National Forest and Hofmann Forest on the North Carolina coast, and the Ozark , Ouatchita , and Mark Twain National Forests in the central United States . In late 2018, two canids that are largely coyote were found on Galveston Island , Texas with red wolf alleles (gene expressions) left from a ghost population of red wolves. Since these alleles are from
5192-673: The main factor limiting wolf dispersal westward from the RWEPA. High anthropogenic wolf mortality similarly limits expansion of eastern wolves outside of protected areas in south-eastern Canada. In 2012, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for jeopardizing the existence of the wild red wolf population by allowing nighttime hunting of coyotes in
5280-470: The military connotations of the term the Gourd Dance has often been mistaken for a "veteran's dance". However, leaders of all three of the earliest Kiowa-established gourd dance organizations agree that this is not a requirement to become a member of the societies. Dances from two of the other presently-existing societies, Pòlá:hyòp ("Pah-Lye-Up" or "Rabbit Society") [pʰo.laː.hyop] and Óhòmà:gàu ("Ohomah" or "War Dance Society"), [o.ho.mɔː.gɔ] are incorporated into
5368-579: The number of wild individuals had shrunk to only about 7 radio-collared and a dozen uncollared individuals, with no wild pups born since 2018. This decline has been linked to shooting and poisoning of wolves by landowners, and suspended conservation efforts by the USFWS. A 2019 analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity of available habitat throughout the red wolf's former range found that over 20,000 square miles of public land across five sites had viable habitat for red wolves to be reintroduced to in
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#17327831157715456-435: The oldest fossil remains of the red wolf are 10,000 years old and were found in Florida near Melbourne , Brevard County , Withlacoochee River, Citrus County , and Devil's Den Cave , Levy County . He notes that there are only a few, but questionable, fossil remains of the gray wolf found in the southeastern states. He proposes that following the extinction of the dire wolf , the coyote appears to have been displaced from
5544-454: The once extensive bottom-land river forests and swamps of the southeastern United States. Red wolves reintroduced into northeastern North Carolina have used habitat types ranging from agricultural lands to forest/wetland mosaics characterized by an overstory of pine and an understory of evergreen shrubs. This suggests that red wolves are habitat generalists and can thrive in most settings where prey populations are adequate and persecution by humans
5632-485: The perimeter of a rectangle of width 0.001 and length 1000 is slightly above 2000, while the perimeter of a rectangle of width 0.5 and length 2 is 5. Both areas are equal to 1. Proclus (5th century) reported that Greek peasants "fairly" parted fields relying on their perimeters. However, a field's production is proportional to its area, not to its perimeter, so many naive peasants may have gotten fields with long perimeters but small areas (thus, few crops). If one removes
5720-448: The possibility of more red wolf genes in the wild that may not be present in the captive population. From 2015 to 2019, there were no red wolves released into the wild. But in March 2020, the FWS released a new breeding pair of red wolves, including a young male red wolf from St. Vincent Island, Florida into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The pair were unsuccessful at producing
5808-562: The presentation several Kiowa men reorganized the Kiowa Gourd Dance Society and formally established the organization on January 30, 1957 and voted on the name "Kiowa Gourd Dance". Within the next decade the organization split into three unrelated branches: the establishing group (now called Kiowa Gourd Clan), Tiah-Piah Society of Oklahoma (established in 1962), and the Tia-piah Society of Carnegie (now known as
5896-680: The red wolf as a subspecies of Canis lupus . The mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft, writing in Mammal Species of the World (2005), regards the red wolf as a hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote, but due to its uncertain status compromised by recognizing it as a subspecies of the gray wolf Canis lupus rufus . In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists considered the red wolf as its own species ( Canis rufus ). When European settlers first arrived to North America,
5984-602: The red wolf as an endangered species and grants it protected status. Since 1996, the IUCN has listed the red wolf as a Critically Endangered species; however, it is not listed in the CITES Appendices of endangered species. Red wolves were once distributed throughout the southeastern and south-central United States from the Atlantic Ocean to central Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Illinois in
6072-586: The red wolf existed in only a few populations due to hybridization with the coyote. The explanation was that either the red wolf could not adapt to changes to its environment due to human land-use along with its accompanying influx of competing coyotes from the west, or that the red wolf was being hybridized out of existence by the coyote. Since 1987, red wolves have been released into northeastern North Carolina, where they roam 1.7 million acres. These lands span five counties (Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, Washington, and Beaufort) and include three national wildlife refuges,
6160-408: The red wolf is debated. It has been described as either a species with a distinct lineage, a recent hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote, an ancient hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote which warrants species status, or a distinct species that has undergone recent hybridization with the coyote. The naturalists John James Audubon and John Bachman were the first to suggest that the wolves of
6248-428: The red wolf was unable to successfully establish a wild population in the park. Low prey density was also a problem, forcing the wolves to leave the park boundaries in pursuit of food in lower elevations. In 1998, the FWS took away the remaining red wolves in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, relocating them to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina. Other red wolves have been released on
6336-422: The restoration of red wolves. Efforts to reduce the threats are presently being explored. By 1999, introgression of coyote genes was recognized as the single greatest threat to wild red wolf recovery and an adaptive management plan which included coyote sterilization has been successful, with coyote genes being reduced by 2015 to less than 4% of the wild red wolf population. Since the 2014 programmatic review,
6424-548: The songs all afternoon and through the night and when morning came, the wolf spoke to him and told him to take the dance and songs back to the Kiowa people. The "howl" at the end of each gourd dance song is a tribute to the red wolf. The Kiowa Gourd Dance was once part of the Kiowa Sun Dance ceremony. Beginning in 1890 the United States government began to actively enforce bans on Kiowa cultural ceremonials and
6512-470: The southeastern US by the red wolf until the last century, when the extirpation of wolves allowed the coyote to expand its range. He also proposes that the ancestor of all North American and Eurasian wolves was C. mosbachensis , which lived in the Middle Pleistocene 700,000–300,000 years ago. C. mosbachensis was a wolf that once lived across Eurasia before going extinct. It
6600-432: The southern United States were different from wolves in its other regions. In 1851 they recorded the "Black American Wolf" as C. l. var. ater that existed in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Missouri, Louisiana, and northern Texas. They also recorded the "Red Texan Wolf" as C. l. var. rufus that existed from northern Arkansas, through Texas, and into Mexico. In 1912
6688-429: The southern latitudes of Central Texas. Given their wide historical distribution, red wolves probably used a large suite of habitat types at one time. The last naturally occurring population used coastal prairie marshes, swamps, and agricultural fields used to grow rice and cotton. However, this environment probably does not typify preferred red wolf habitat. Some evidence shows the species was found in highest numbers in
6776-573: The west, and in the north from the Ohio River Valley , northern Pennsylvania , southern New York , and extreme southern Ontario in Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico . The red wolf was nearly driven to extinction by the mid-1900s due to aggressive predator-control programs, habitat destruction , and extensive hybridization with coyotes . By the late 1960s, it occurred in small numbers in
6864-562: The wild in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County. One family consisted of a breeding pair and three pups, while the other consisted of a breeding pair, a yearling female, and four young pups that were born in the acclamation pen. In early June 2023, the two families of red wolves were released into the wild to roam through PLNWR. With the addition of these two separate packs,
6952-553: The wild population of red wolves had increased to about 35 wild individuals. In addition to the wild population, there are approximately 270 red wolves in zoos and captive breeding programs across the U.S. Interbreeding with the coyote has been recognized as a threat affecting the restoration of red wolves. Adaptive management efforts are making progress in reducing the threat of coyotes to the red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina. Other threats, such as habitat fragmentation, disease, and human-caused mortality, are of concern in
7040-541: The wild, the vast majority of public comments (including NC residents) submitted to the USFWS in 2017 over their new wolf management plan were in favor of the original wild conservation plan. A 2016 genetic study of canid scats found that despite high coyote density inside the Red Wolf Experimental Population Area (RWEPA), hybridization occurs rarely (4% are hybrids). High wolf mortality related to anthropogenic causes appeared to be
7128-400: The wild. This resolution came in the wake of a 2014 programmatic review of the red wolf conservation program conducted by The Wildlife Management Institute. The Wildlife Management Institute indicated the reintroduction of the red wolf was an incredible achievement. The report indicated that red wolves could be released and survive in the wild, but that illegal killing of red wolves threatens
7216-604: The wild. At the same time, the wild breeding pair that produced a litter of pups the previous year gave birth to a second litter of 5 pups, 2 males and 3 females. A male wolf pup from a captive litter was fostered into the pack, and with this new addition, the family of red wolves, which was named the Milltail pack by FWS, has grown to 13 wild individuals. These six new pups has brought the wild population of red wolves up to 23–25 wild individuals. In May 2023, two families of red wolves were placed in acclamation pens to be released into
7304-538: The winter of 2021–2022, the Fish and Wildlife Services selected nine captive adult red wolves to be released into the wild. A family of five red wolves were released into the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, while two new breeding pairs of adult wolves were released into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The release of these new wolves brought the number of wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina up to less than 30 wild individuals. On April 22, 2022, one of
7392-468: The zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. noted that the designation ater was unavailable and recorded these wolves as C. l. floridanus . In 1937, the zoologist Edward Alphonso Goldman proposed a new species of wolf Canis rufus . Three subspecies of red wolf were originally recognized by Goldman, with two of these subspecies now being extinct. The Florida black wolf ( Canis rufus floridanus ) (Maine to Florida) has been extinct since 1908 and
7480-488: The zoologists Barbara Lawrence and William H. Bossert believed that the case for classifying C. rufus as a species was based too heavily on the small red wolves of central Texas, from where it was known that there existed hybridization with the coyote. They said that if an adequate number of specimens had been included from Florida, then the separation of C. rufus from C. lupus would have been unlikely. The taxonomic reference Catalogue of Life classifies
7568-407: Was found that inbreeding among first-degree relatives was rare. A likely mechanism for avoidance of inbreeding is independent dispersal trajectories from the natal pack. Many of the young wolves spend time alone or in small non-breeding packs composed of unrelated individuals. The union of two unrelated individuals in a new home range is the predominant pattern of breeding pair formation. Inbreeding
7656-468: Was given to them by "Red Wolf". It has spread to many other tribes and societies, most of which do not have the blessing of the Kiowa Elders. Some gourd societies do not distinguish race as a criterion, and even non-Indians can and are inducted into their gourd societies, the Kiowa gourd dance society however only inducts Indians of half blood or more. Many participants may be older men, and the dance
7744-485: Was smaller than most North American wolf populations and smaller than C. rufus , and has been described as being similar in size to the small Indian wolf , Canis lupus pallipes . He further proposes that C. mosbachensis invaded North America where it became isolated by the later glaciation and there gave rise to C. rufus . In Eurasia, C. mosbachensis evolved into C. lupus , which later invaded North America. The paleontologist and expert on
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