They dig. They scratch. They climb. They often scream bloody hell in the middle of the night. Many consider them public enemy number one. And yet in the mid 1800s, Australia began shipping crate loads of the little darlings to New Zealand with the goal of establishing a local fur industry for brushtail possums. It was an epic failure.

Whenever I hear someone whine about a "scratchy" wool sweater, I want to tuck them under a Bay blanket and see if they make it through the night. I’m convinced the blanket only generates heat by aggressively exfoliating your soul.

In Western culture, the phrase “A dog is man’s best friend” is often quoted with little or no dispute. It is paraphrased from the closing argument of a legal case in 1870 about a hunting dog that was killed by a neighbor.

By the end of the 19th century, there was barely a trace of anything resembling a dog whose coat was suitable for spinning in the Pacific Northwest.

Bull Musk ox. Photo: Robert Haasman For nearly a century, Greenland has been peddling musk ox, sending young calves to the United States, Russia, Norway, and Canada. Roughly 200,000 years ago, this shaggy behemoth originally trudged across the Bering Sea Land Bridge, traveling across Alaska, Canada, and eventually to Greenland. At one time, the musk ox lived as far south as the American Midwest.   Prized for its adaptability, musk ox stay comfortable in temperatures at 50 bel

Ellen Frederiksen on her farm in South Greenland Photo :  Alexandra Dayley Clark

I have often said that if, heaven forbid, my house is on fire, I won’t reach for my jewelry or family photos; I will reach for my qiviut—the luxurious fiber from the musk ox. Given my profession, this should not come as a surprise. Admittedly, I have only a few items, which makes them that much more precious. They are equal parts pricey and priceless.

Herding sheep in Greenland (circa 1924)

A pair of walruses hauled out on the snow, Svalbard, Norway.