“Alaska Native artists who carve Pacific walrus ivory harvested during subsistence hunting are 

key to our communities’ economic development, keep our traditions alive and strong, and pass 

down our rich heritage from one generation to the next. Our communities protect the walrus on 

which our continued subsistence depends.” Alice Bioff, Kawerak, Inc.

ALASKA NATIVE IVORY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR • INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD

in collaboration with Alaska State Council on the Arts

SHOP WISELY...TIPS FOR BUYING • When purchasing ivory artwork from a shop or 

gallery, choose one with a good reputation.

• Request a written guarantee or written 

verification of authenticity. Authentic 

Alaska Native artwork may carry a 

state certified tag or Silver Hand 

symbol which features the words, 

“Authentic Alaska Native Art from 

Alaska.” Items may also carry a 

“Made in Alaska” emblem which 

certifies it was made in Alaska, but not 

necessarily by an Alaska Native.

• Get a receipt that includes all the vital information 

about your purchase, including price, materials, 

maker, and maker’s tribal village.

• Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of 

walrus, mastodon, and mammoth ivory, as well as 

indicators of a well-made piece.

• Realize that authentic Alaska Native artwork may 

be expensive. If the price seems too good to be 

true, make sure to ask more 

questions about the item 

and its maker.

ALASKA NATIVE ARTISTS

• Alaska Silver Hand Artists

www.education.alaska.gov/

aksca/native.html

• IACB Source Directory 

www.doi.gov/iacb/sourcedirectory

CO-MANAGEMENT OF WALRUS 

RESOURCES

The Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC) was 

established in 1978 by Kawerak, Inc., an Alaska Native 

regional non-profit corporation, to represent 19 remote 

Alaska Native coastal communities. EWC oversees 

walrus co-management issues essential to these 

communities’ food sources, which also provide the 

traditional materials, ivory and bone, used for artwork 

in support of their culture and economies. Collaborating 

with other organizations, particularly the FWS, EWC 

encourages subsistence hunters’ participation in 

conserving and managing walrus stocks. To contact 

the EWC, please call 1-877-277-4392.

Take Home a Treasure from Alaska - 

Buy Authentic Alaska Native Art

INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS ACT

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and 

Crafts Board and the FWS’s Office of Law Enforcement 

jointly enforce the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (Act), 

P.L. 101-644, a truth in marketing law, which carries 

criminal and civil penalties. Under the Act, it is illegal to 

offer or display for sale, or sell, 

any art or craft product in a 

manner that falsely suggests 

it is Alaska Native or American 

Indian produced or an Alaska 

Native or American Indian product. 

Complaints of potential Act 

violations can be submitted 

online, www.doi.gov/

iacb/act, or by calling 

1-888-ART-FAKE (toll free).

ESKIMO WALRUS COMMISSION

Kawerak, Inc.

P.O. Box 948

Nome, AK 99762

1-907-443-4380 or 1-877-277-4392

1-907-443-4484 (fax)

www.kawerak.org/ewc.html

ewc@kawerak.org 

INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, NW, MS 2528-MIB

Washington, D.C. 20240

1-888-278-3253

1-202-208-5196 (fax)

www.doi.gov/iacb

iacb@ios.doi.gov

U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

U.S. Department of the Interior

5275 Leesburg Pike

Falls Church, VA 22041

1-703-358-2220

1-703-358-1930 (fax)

www.fws.gov

www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm

ALASKA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

161 Klevin Street, Suite 102

Anchorage, AK 99508-1506

1-888-278-7424

1-907-269-6601 (fax)

www.education.alaska.gov/aksca

aksca.info@alaska.gov

Publication of the U.S. Department of the Interior, 

Indian Arts and Crafts Board, in collaboration with 

Alaska State Council on the Arts, May 2017

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“In accordance with our cultural value of no waste, we’ve made our boats, tools, clothing, 

spiritual items, and artwork from the inedible parts of the gift of the walrus. They are 

inextricably a part of our ancient and sustainable relationship with the land and sea, and 

provide critical food and an important economic resource for hunters and artists in rural 

Alaska.” Susie Silook, St. Lawrence Island Yupik artist.

TRANSPORTING ALASKA NATIVE 

IVORY ART & CRAFTWORK

It is legal, and no documentation is 

required, to export mammoth and 

mastodon ivory because these species 

are extinct and not protected by federal 

wildlife law. Walrus ivory that has been 

worked into authentic Alaska Native 

artwork may be exported. To determine 

whether a U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) 

export permit is required to do so, 

you may call the FWS at 

907-271-6198. Check with 

the country you wish to import to, 

as import permits may also be required.

Consumers are advised to keep the 

receipt for the item(s) purchased with 

the name and address of the vendor 

clearly indicating the item was purchased in the 

United States (U.S.). The receipt will be necessary if 

you need to apply for an export permit or it can be 

used in place of a permit if you are hand carrying 

your authentic Alaska Native ivory artwork to 

Canada, Macau, Japan, or Hong Kong. Other foreign 

countries may require import permits. The 

purchase receipt from a U.S. vendor 

is also required for U.S. citizens 

traveling through Canada 

before re-entering the U.S., 

since walrus ivory purchased in 

Canada cannot be imported into 

the U.S. For more information regarding 

Alaska Native ivory artwork transportation 

requirements for other foreign countries, please 

call the FWS at 907-271-6198.

ELEPHANT IVORY BAN

A near-total ban on commercial trade in African 

elephant ivory in the U.S. was implemented in July 

2016 (EO 13648). Ivory from marine species, such 

as walrus, is regulated separately under the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act and is not affected by the 

African elephant regulations.

ALASKA NATIVE ARTISTS are well known for 

their distinctive artwork. Walrus, mammoth, and 

mastodon ivory are often used by Alaska Natives to 

create a wide range of carvings and other artworks. 

For example, carvings of animals, hunters, and 

ceremonial masks, as well as other contemporary and 

traditional artwork, incorporate ivory to enhance their 

beauty and value.

Alaska Native ivory art has a 

universal appeal, but it is 

important to be an educated 

consumer.

WALRUS IVORY

Pacific walruses are 

protected by the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act 

of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 

et seq.)* and may only 

be harvested by coastal 

dwelling Alaska 

Natives. Walrus ivory 

offered for sale that 

was harvested after 

1972 may only be carved 

by Alaska Natives. Once 

carved and sold, anyone 

may resell Alaska Native 

art and craftwork made 

of walrus ivory.

IVORY FACTS

• Walrus tusks are large canine 

teeth that can grow to 

approximately three feet long.

• Although ivory 

from different 

species is similar 

in appearance, it can 

be properly identified in most 

situations.

• Mammoth, mastodon, and elephant 

ivories are most similar. It is easy, 

however, to distinguish walrus ivory as outlined at 

www.fws.gov/lab/ivory.php.

• Walrus ivory is normally white, but may darken 

through age or exposure to environmental factors.

• The color of mammoth and mastodon ivory 

may range from creamy white to mottled dark 

brown, depending on the mineral content of the 

surrounding soil deposit.

• Walrus harvests are crucial to coastal 

communities which rely heavily on subsistence 

hunting for food, clothing, and cultural traditions, 

as well as on ivory for the production and sale 

of artwork for key supplemental income.

CREDITS: Cover. Susie Silook, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, “Identities,” 2015, Photography by Jimmy Froehlich. 2. Gertrude Svarny, Unangan, “The Gatherer,” 1990, Collection of the Southern Plains Indian Museum (SPIM), USDOI, IACB. 3. Justin Tiulana, King 

Island Inupiaq, “Hunter,” 1984, Courtesy of University of Alaska Museum of the North (UAMN), UA 84-3-52AC. 4. Lane Iyakitan, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, “Land vs. Sea,” 1982, Collection of SPIM, USDOI, IACB. 5. Teddy Mayac, Sr., King Island Inupiaq, “Loon,” 

1989, Courtesy of UAMN, UA 2009-019-0058. 6. Ron Apangalook, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, “Polar Bear Mother and Cubs,” 2003, Courtesy of UAMN, UA 2015-19-15AC. 

Cross sections of elephant ivory (left) and walrus ivory 

(right). Courtesy National Forensic Fish & Wildlife Lab.

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2 * www.fws.gov/international/pdf/legislation-marine-mammal-protection-act.pdf