Guinea Hog
Encyclopedia
The Guinea Hog, also called the Pineywoods Guinea, Guinea Forest hog, Acorn Eater, and Yard pig, is a breed
of domestic pig
originating in the United States. Despite its name, the breed is not from Guinea
, though the foundation stock is thought to be derived from West Africa
. The Guinea Hog is a rare breed with a black coat, sturdy body, curly tail and upright ears.
of West Africa
. The true African Guinea hogs are a large, red breed with upright ears, bristly hair and long tails, suggesting genetic influence of the Nigerian Black or Ashanti pig. They were brought to America on slave ships. About 1804 Thomas Jefferson
acquired some of these pigs, which had arrived from Africa via the Canary Isles. The original strain, although basically black, also had a hint of red and were consequently called Red Guineas; that strain, well known at the beginning of the 19th century, is extinct.
Later they were crossed with other breeds, including Appalachian English pigs, Essex pigs, and West African Dwarfs. This new breed, the American Guinea hog retained its black colour but lost the red tint and is sometimes called a Black Guinea. These pigs were popular with subsistence farmers, not only through their ability to forage for themselves, but also because their habit of eating snakes made the farmyard safe for children and livestock.
The breed fell out of favour after around 1880 and for a while was in danger of being entirely lost. The Red Guinea no longer exists and its exact relationship with the American Guinea and what proportions of other breeds are in its background are not known for certain. However, that there is a relationship is shown by the occasional birth of a reddish pig to the normally bluish-black American Guinea parents. It is suspected that there were a number of distinct American Guineas in the past. In 2005 the American Guinea Hog Association was formed which now ensures its continued existence. The Guinea Hog is also include in Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste
, a catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of domestic pig
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
originating in the United States. Despite its name, the breed is not from Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, though the foundation stock is thought to be derived from West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. The Guinea Hog is a rare breed with a black coat, sturdy body, curly tail and upright ears.
Characteristics
Guinea hogs are small pigs compared to modern breeds; they weigh less than 200 pounds and will yield 50 to 100 pounds of meat and fat. They are good as free-range foragers but are also at home in a farmyard and are reasonably even-temperered. The Guinea hog is not used for commercial farming because of its small size and high lard content. There are two types of Guinea hog in North America, small-boned and large-boned Guinea hogs, the latter having longer legs. There is also a type of Guinea hog in South America.History
The name derives from the origins of the Guinea hog in the Guinea coastGulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. The true African Guinea hogs are a large, red breed with upright ears, bristly hair and long tails, suggesting genetic influence of the Nigerian Black or Ashanti pig. They were brought to America on slave ships. About 1804 Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
acquired some of these pigs, which had arrived from Africa via the Canary Isles. The original strain, although basically black, also had a hint of red and were consequently called Red Guineas; that strain, well known at the beginning of the 19th century, is extinct.
Later they were crossed with other breeds, including Appalachian English pigs, Essex pigs, and West African Dwarfs. This new breed, the American Guinea hog retained its black colour but lost the red tint and is sometimes called a Black Guinea. These pigs were popular with subsistence farmers, not only through their ability to forage for themselves, but also because their habit of eating snakes made the farmyard safe for children and livestock.
The breed fell out of favour after around 1880 and for a while was in danger of being entirely lost. The Red Guinea no longer exists and its exact relationship with the American Guinea and what proportions of other breeds are in its background are not known for certain. However, that there is a relationship is shown by the occasional birth of a reddish pig to the normally bluish-black American Guinea parents. It is suspected that there were a number of distinct American Guineas in the past. In 2005 the American Guinea Hog Association was formed which now ensures its continued existence. The Guinea Hog is also include in Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste
Ark of Taste
The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distinct ecoregion...
, a catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction.
External links
- Heritage Hog Breeders Club and Registry Guinea hog registry.
- American Guinea Hog Association official site.
- "Guinea Hog" American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.