Shop for mukluks (Inuit boots made from sealskin and reindeer hide), smoked salmon, beadwork, basketry, jewelry of gold and jade, ivory and whalebone carvings, knitted clothing (especially qiviut wool combed from the musk ox) and other representative examples of Native American arts and crafts. Many travelers also buy an ulu, the curved knives traditionally used by Alaskan Native women to prepare hides, cut up and clean fish, and to prepare everyday meals.

Be sure to look for the Made in Alaska logo, which indicates that an item is an authentic Alaskan artifact. Another logo, the Silver Hand, indicates that an item was crafted specifically by Alaska Natives.

As for crafts made from walrus ivory, the only products that can be legally marketed in Alaska are items in which the ivory used is the byproduct of subsistence hunting. Only Alaska Natives are allowed to process unworked ivory (unless it’s fossilized), and gift shops will include a certificate indicating that the item is Alaskan ivory from nonendangered species.

(Though all walrus populations appear to be declining.) Be aware that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires a special permit (US$25) to export walrus ivory outside the U.S. This applies to visitors who will be traveling through Canada after leaving Alaska, even if their final destination is the U.S. We suggest you avoid any confusion at the Canadian border by mailing the items home — with the certificate — before you leave Alaska. (Many shops will be happy to handle the mailing for you.)