The bill, titled the “Alaska’s Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition Act” or “ARTIST Act,” seeks to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to provide an exemption for Alaskan Natives. This exemption applies to authentic Alaska Native articles of handicrafts and clothing produced by Alaska Natives residing on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, without the use of mass copying devices. The bill aims to preserve Alaska Native traditions and allow them to continue their handicraft practices using natural materials.
Alaska’s Right To Ivory Sales and Tradition Act or the ARTIST Act
This bill prohibits states from imposing bans on marine mammal products produced by Alaska Natives.
Specifically, states may not prohibit the importation, sale, transfer, trade, barter, or possession of marine mammal ivory, marine mammal bone, or baleen legally produced by an Alaska Native as an authentic Alaska Native article of handicrafts and clothing.