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<p>In the nineteenth century, the sealing industry in the South Shetland Islands targeted fur seals for their skins and elephant seals for their oil. Yet, unlike fur sealing, elephant sealing in the region has received limited scholarly attention—particularly regarding its material dimensions. This article examines the equipment used in elephant seal exploitation, highlighting the potential of outfitting lists as sources for archaeological research. The analysis focuses on the outfitting list of the American schooner <i>Golden West</i>, which visited the South Shetlands in 1873–74 and returned with elephant seal oil and other animal products. The study evaluates the diversity and abundance of tools taken aboard for elephant sealing, compares them with the gear used in fur sealing and whaling, and explores the relationship among these activities. It also discusses how the availability of elephant sealing tools may have shaped sealing crews’ exploitation strategies and the material traces they left behind.</p>

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Elephant Sealing in the South Shetland Islands (Nineteenth Century): Analyzing Exploitation Equipment through Outfitting Lists

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月30日

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  • Melisa A. Salerno,
  • M. Jimena Cruz,
  • Andrés Zarankin

摘要

In the nineteenth century, the sealing industry in the South Shetland Islands targeted fur seals for their skins and elephant seals for their oil. Yet, unlike fur sealing, elephant sealing in the region has received limited scholarly attention—particularly regarding its material dimensions. This article examines the equipment used in elephant seal exploitation, highlighting the potential of outfitting lists as sources for archaeological research. The analysis focuses on the outfitting list of the American schooner Golden West, which visited the South Shetlands in 1873–74 and returned with elephant seal oil and other animal products. The study evaluates the diversity and abundance of tools taken aboard for elephant sealing, compares them with the gear used in fur sealing and whaling, and explores the relationship among these activities. It also discusses how the availability of elephant sealing tools may have shaped sealing crews’ exploitation strategies and the material traces they left behind.