Archaeological evidence of resource utilisation of walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, over the past two millennia: A systematic review protocol

Abstract

The walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, is an iconic pinniped and predominant molluscivore that is well adapted to Arctic and subarctic environments. Its circumpolar distribution, large body size and ivory tusks facilitated its vital role as food, raw material (for tools and art), income, and cultural influence on many Arctic Indigenous communities for millennia. Intensification of hunting (often due to the arrival of Europeans, especially between the 16th and 19th centuries) to obtain ivory, hide, blubber and meat, resulted in diminished, sometimes extirpated, walrus populations. Zooarchaeological, artefactual and documentary evidence of walrus material has been collated at local and regional scales and is frequently focused on a specific culture or period of time. Systematic collation of this evidence across the Northern Hemisphere will provide insight into the chronology and circumpolar distribution of walrus hunting and provide a tool to document societal change in walrus resource use. Here, we lay out a systematic review protocol to collate records of archaeological walrus artefacts, tusks and bones that have been documented primarily within published literature to archive when and where (as feasible) walrus extractions occurred between 1 CE and 2000 CE. These data will be openly available for the scientific community. The resulting dataset will be the first to provide spatiotemporal information (including the recognition of knowledge gaps) regarding past walrus populations and extirpations on a circumpolar scale. Our protocol is published to ensure reproducibility and comparability in the future, and to encourage the adoption of systematic review methodology (including pre-published protocols) in archaeology. The Walrus is an iconic species, important to many Indigenous communities, providing food, materials for tools and art, income, and cultural significance. However, increased hunting, especially when Europeans arrived between the 16th and 19th centuries, led to a decline in walrus populations. The relationship between humans and walrus prior to the 16th century has not yet been documented at a circumpolar scale. This study protocol details how the researchers will create a comprehensive dataset of historical walrus remains covering the period from 1 CE to 2000 CE. This dataset provides the opportunity to better understand the history and distribution of walrus, and walrus hunting, and will be openly available for scientists, and any other interested parties to use. The researchers are sharing their systematic review protocol to ensure that others can reproduce and compare their work in the future, and to promote the use of this method in archaeology.