Bruce Schindler carves a piece of mammoth ivory in his Skagway studio. (Abbey Collins)
Last week, Alaska lawmakers passed a resolution that brings concerns of state ivory carvers to a national level.
The resolution, passed by the Senate in February and the House in April, urges the U.S. Congress to pass legislation exempting legally acquired walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory from ivory bans.
Bruce Schindler is an ivory carver in Skagway. He works with fossilized ivory.
“I’m just very happy to see this happen,” says Schindler. “This is taking the Alaskan ivories from a statewide thing and putting it into a national stage. The defense of our ivories, the defense of the native ivories and actually native lifestyle up on the northern coast. For us it’s economically very, very difficult. For the natives up on the arctic coast, its culturally devastating.”
In 2016, the Obama Administration implemented an almost complete ban on the commercial trade of African elephant ivory in the U.S.
In recent years, some states in the Lower 48 have gone further, implementing bans on the sale, use and possession of all ivory.
Alaska Natives are permitted to harvest walrus ivory under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The use of legally-acquired ivory is an important part of Native culture. For Native and non-Native artists, it’s economically important as well.
Candace Cahill is a silversmith and beader. In Skagway, she and her husband work with fossil ivory, mainly making jewelry.
“The significance of this specific resolution is having the entire state of Alaska behind the artists and the people who are using legal ivory as a way to make a living and survive,” says Cahill. “We need to have the ability to continue to work with the material.”
Cahill says ivory bans in other states, where her work can’t be sold, have negatively impacted her business.
The resolution from the Alaska legislature has been sent to President Trump, and members of the U.S. Congress.
