Walrus: Odobenidae - Walruses And People

Native people of the Arctic have always associated the walrus with spiritual power. For thousands of years, they depended on walruses for subsistence, hunting them for food and fuel, as well as material for shelter, clothing, boats, sled, tools, and handicrafts. In the seventeenth century, Europeans first harvested walruses commercially, especially for their ivory tusks, eventually causing declining populations. Today, walruses are legally protected by the governments of the United States, Canada, and Russia. Only native people are allowed to hunt them.