Is sustainable resource utilisation a relevant concept in Avanersuaq? The walrus case

Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen,Janne Flora,Astrid Oberborbeck Andersen

doi:10.1007/s13280-018-1032-0

Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, Janne Flora + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1032-0

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Abstract

This article addresses the role of Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in present-day Avanersuaq from anthropological and biological perspectives, and asks whether or not sustainable resource utilisation is a useful concept in northwest Greenland. We describe the relations that unfold around walrus and walrus hunting, in the communities living adjacent to the North Water polynya on the eastern side of Smith Sound. We examine the interplay of walrus population abundance, hunting practices, uses, and formal (governmental) and informal (traditional) ways of regulating the hunt, and we analyse how walruses acquire multiple values as they circulate in different networks. Sustainable resource utilisation, we conclude, is a concept that is relevant in Avanersuaq and beyond, because it works as a biological standard, and hence organises laws, norms, and practices of formal management. Simultaneously, the term is problematic, because it ignores manifold levels of human and societal values connected to walrus.

Highlights

To people in Avanersuaq (Northwest Greenland, Fig. 1), Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) and walrus hunting play important roles in everyday livelihoods
Are walruses rich in meat and a good source of protein for humans and dogs alike, the tusks have been used in tools or traded as raw materials, jewellery, or other handicraft, and walrus hunting has been integral in the identity and culture of the people for centuries
Sustainability appears with different implications at different points in these extensive networks

Summary

Introduction

To people in Avanersuaq (Northwest Greenland, Fig. 1), Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) and walrus hunting play important roles in everyday livelihoods. Are walruses rich in meat and a good source of protein for humans and dogs alike, the tusks have been used in tools or traded as raw materials, jewellery, or other handicraft, and walrus hunting has been integral in the identity and culture of the people for centuries. We ask in what ways, and to what extent this concept is relevant in Avanersuaq. We answer this question by exploring the role and importance of walrus in present-day Avanersuaq, and how walruses in Smith Sound are assessed, attain value, and are managed by people living outside Avanersuaq. The purpose of this article is to show how, using a particular species, the walrus, as an example

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