19th-century sealers’ life in Antarctica

ANDRÉS ZARANKIN; MARÍA XIMENA SENATORE; MELISA A. SALERNO; SARAH HISSA

Stellenbosch

Workshop; 7th Workshop of the SCAR History Action Group; 2011

Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study

The study of living space offers the opportunity of reinterpreting the bonds of people and the Antarctic continent during the process of expansion of the modern World. The boarding of such experience is a tool which proves necessary in order to analyze the way in which people achieved the inclusion of a space unknown to them up to that moment. In the case of Antarctica the development of this standpoint forces a revision of the historical evidence in the light of the new ideas discussed. In this way, texts, maps and objects can be understood as fragments of past experiences. If narratives allow the articulation and organization of these experiences, our work on the records will lead to the birth of new histories of the Antarctic Continent. Following these ideas our presentation highlights the contribution of archaeology to the understanding of human history in Antarctica. Attention is particularly focused on the early occupation and exploitation of the territory. During most of the 19th century, the South Shetland Islands were visited by sealing vessels. Hunters were interested in obtaining large quantities of oil and furs to be sold in different markets. In contrast to written documents, archaeological fieldwork in the South Shetlands has primarily dealt with 19th-century sealers’ camps. The material analysis of these places (including structures and objects) provides insight into sealers' daily life in a previously unknown territory. Here we will present some of the results of our extensive research, especially in Byers Peninsula. Located on Livingston Island, this area shows the highest concentration of sealers’ camps in the entire continent. Our intention is to discuss sealers’ life in different scales of analysis; mainly, the sealing landscape and the sealing camp.