AK NATIVE IVORY INITIATIVE
IVORY LEGISLATION
CONTACT INFORMATION
AK Native Ivory Initiative
- In an effort to stem the poaching of African elephants, various U.S. states have passed laws banning the sale, use, or possession of all ivory, and additional states are considering such laws.
- These ivory ban laws may cause residents to face prosecution for buying, owning, or bringing home legally acquired ivory from Alaska.
- The traditional and customary use and harvest of walrus has never been the reason for a decline of the species and walrus ivory continues to be a source of pride, tradition, and artistic production.
- The ban would have an economic impact to communities who use the resource and to artists, buyers of walrus ivory products, mammoth and mastodon ivory products and gift shops that sell them.
Resources
States Banning the Sale of Ivory
https://www.aaps-journal.org/journal/fossil-ivory-legislation.html
US Fish and Wildlife Ivory Identification Guide
https://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php
Download: USFWS Ivory Trade distinctions between African elephant and walrus, mastodon, mammoth
Advocacy
Ayveq Nangaghneghput – Walrus & Our Way of Life, Washington D.C. Ivory Educational Event
The live viewing of this event was on Monday June 10th 2019 at 12pm AKST.
The purpose of the roundtable is to shed light on the cultural and economic importance of Pacific walrus, of carving walrus ivory through understanding the Inuit way of life and the sustainability; and management of walrus in a vastly changing Arctic. In 2016, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service issued a ban on the commercial trade of African elephant ivory. Six states (New York, New Jersey, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington) enacted broad bans on commercial ivory impacting the market for our Inuit artists who utilize walrus ivory. Inuit leaders will share efforts to maintain their way of life and support Inuit ivory carvers.
Roundtable Agenda and Participants:
Protecting Inuit Artists and Advancing Rural Economies
- Senator Sullivan, U.S. Senator
- Melanie Bahnke, President & CEO, Kawerak Inc.
- Perry Pungowiyi, Yupik Artist and Hunter
- Sylvester Ayek, Inuit Hunter, Carver and Elder
- Ben Payenna, Executive Board Member, Kawerak Inc., Inuit Hunter, and Carver
Inuit Management & Health of the Walrus Population
- Vera Metcalf, Director, Eskimo Walrus Commission
- Stephen Wackowski, Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs, United States
- Department of Interior
- Dr. Peter Thomas, Executive Director, Marine Mammal Commission
Audience Questions & Comment
Letters
Sullivan Letter to Etsy re: Banning sales of ivory
Ivory Bill S.804 Support Letter – Kawerak
Sullivan Letter to Facebook Re: Ivory sales
Memos & Resolutions
Memo packet to legislators including talking points and resolutions
Legislation
S.804 “Empowering Rural Economies Through Alaska Native Sustainable Arts and Handicrafts Act”
2016 Hearing Examining the Impacts of the Federal African Elephant Ivory Ban and Related State Laws
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Report on S. 1965
Media
Bering Straits Native Corporation Ivory Booklet
News Articles
Native Alaskans concerned after Etsy bans ivory products – Alaska’s News Source
Protecting our precious subsistence resource walrus ivory – Cultural Survival
For two Alaska villages, walruses remain essential. As sea ice disappears, can it last? – ADN
Videos
Rural Native artist Jason Iya reaches new audiences online
Handmade Portraits: The Bone Carver
Smithonian Arctic Studies Center : Sculpting Ivory series (17 videos)
King Island Carvers in Nome – UAF Video Archives 1945-1955
Carving Life: Walrus Ivory Carvings from the Bering Sea
AK Native Ivory Initiative
- In an effort to stem the poaching of African elephants, various U.S. states have passed laws banning the sale, use, or possession of all ivory, and additional states are considering such laws.
- These ivory ban laws may cause residents to face prosecution for buying, owning, or bringing home legally acquired ivory from Alaska.
- The traditional and customary use and harvest of walrus has never been the reason for a decline of the species and walrus ivory continues to be a source of pride, tradition, and artistic production.
- The ban would have an economic impact to communities who use the resource and to artists, buyers of walrus ivory products, mammoth and mastodon ivory products and gift shops that sell them.
Resources
States Banning the Sale of Ivory
https://www.aaps-journal.org/journal/fossil-ivory-legislation.html
US Fish and Wildlife Ivory Identification Guide
https://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php
Download: USFWS Ivory Trade distinctions between African elephant and walrus, mastodon, mammoth
Advocacy
Ayveq Nangaghneghput – Walrus & Our Way of Life, Washington D.C. Ivory Educational Event
The live viewing of this event was on Monday June 10th 2019 at 12pm AKST.
The purpose of the roundtable is to shed light on the cultural and economic importance of Pacific walrus, of carving walrus ivory through understanding the Inuit way of life and the sustainability; and management of walrus in a vastly changing Arctic. In 2016, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service issued a ban on the commercial trade of African elephant ivory. Six states (New York, New Jersey, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington) enacted broad bans on commercial ivory impacting the market for our Inuit artists who utilize walrus ivory. Inuit leaders will share efforts to maintain their way of life and support Inuit ivory carvers.
Roundtable Agenda and Participants:
Protecting Inuit Artists and Advancing Rural Economies
- Senator Sullivan, U.S. Senator
- Melanie Bahnke, President & CEO, Kawerak Inc.
- Perry Pungowiyi, Yupik Artist and Hunter
- Sylvester Ayek, Inuit Hunter, Carver and Elder
- Ben Payenna, Executive Board Member, Kawerak Inc., Inuit Hunter, and Carver
Inuit Management & Health of the Walrus Population
- Vera Metcalf, Director, Eskimo Walrus Commission
- Stephen Wackowski, Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs, United States
- Department of Interior
- Dr. Peter Thomas, Executive Director, Marine Mammal Commission
Audience Questions & Comment
Letters
Sullivan Letter to Etsy re: Banning sales of ivory
Ivory Bill S.804 Support Letter – Kawerak
Sullivan Letter to Facebook Re: Ivory sales
Memos & Resolutions
Memo packet to legislators including talking points and resolutions
Legislation
S.804 “Empowering Rural Economies Through Alaska Native Sustainable Arts and Handicrafts Act”
2016 Hearing Examining the Impacts of the Federal African Elephant Ivory Ban and Related State Laws
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Report on S. 1965
Media
Bering Straits Native Corporation Ivory Booklet
News Articles
Native Alaskans concerned after Etsy bans ivory products – Alaska’s News Source
Protecting our precious subsistence resource walrus ivory – Cultural Survival
For two Alaska villages, walruses remain essential. As sea ice disappears, can it last? – ADN