The Alaska State Council on the Arts is urging Alaska’s congressional delegation to protect Native use of ivory after recent domestic ivory bans.
The council, which is a part of the state Department of Education and Early Development, submitted a resolution to the delegation last month, emphasizing the rights of Alaska Native people to subsist and legally acquire walrus, mammoth and mastodon ivory for use “as a primary creative medium or an incorporated material into artwork.”
The council said in a release Wednesday it is committed to protecting artistic expression of Alaska Native people through cultural practices — whether traditional, contemporary or customary.
The focus of the State Council on the Arts is to “advance creative endeavors” for individuals around Alaska.
