House passes Alaska Native walrus-ivory protection bill

The U.S. House passed the Alaska's Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act on June 5, sending federal protection for Alaska Native walrus-ivory art to President Donald Trump's desk after an eight-year push by the Alaska delegation and Native organizations.

The legislation prevents states from banning the import, sale, or possession of authentic Alaska Native handicrafts made from marine-mammal ivory, bone, or baleen. State ivory bans aimed at stopping African elephant trafficking had inadvertently criminalized Alaska Native art already protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, cutting off markets for rural artists whose families depend on ivory-art sales.

Senator Dan Sullivan first introduced the bill in October 2024 and reintroduced it in January 2025 at the start of the current Congress. The Senate passed it unanimously before the House vote.

Representative Nick Begich, who led the House effort, said the legislation protects the rights of Alaska Native artists to continue sharing their craftsmanship, traditions, and heritage with the rest of the country while also supporting rural economies across Alaska.

Senator Lisa Murkowski said ensuring Alaska Native artists can create and sell their traditional handicrafts is about more than income. It's about supporting families who have used their work to preserve heritage and culture through generations, Murkowski said. Safeguarding wildlife and honoring Indigenous art can coexist, she said.

Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, called the House vote an important milestone for North Slope Iñupiat cultural self-determination. For thousands of years, Iñupiat people have transformed walrus ivory into tools, arts, and crafts, Harcharek said.

Melanie Bahnke, president of Kawerak, a Bering Strait regional organization, said Alaska Natives have sustainably harvested Pacific walrus for thousands of years. Congress passed the bill to ensure that Native artwork and tools are not deemed illegal in various parts of the United States, Bahnke said.

The bill now awaits the president's signature.