Alaska souveniers

you should probably post this under " Alaska" !.. but, I brought back bottle openers - or church keys as we call them here in the midwest.. and they were $1.95 - $2.95 at their WalMart..same ones found at the souvenir shoppes for $6.95...easy to pack and they each had something from Alaska on them, my girlfriends loved them.. kitchy and cheap !

Ulu knives. Both my SILs love the ones I brought back.

Art from a local artist, an Inuit carving.

The best idea that someone gave me before my trip to Alaska was to buy an "Alaska" photo album to put all of my pictures in.

I try to do that on all of my vacations now.

For others, we bought Ulu knives as well.

frugaltraveler - there is no "Alaska" forum - all posts to US board go into the same place.

We spent 2 1/2 weeks in Alaska last month. In cities and cruise ports, we learned that most of the jewelery, t-shirt and souvenier shops are owned by the various cruiselines. And little that was sold there was from the US - forget about being fvrom Alaska.

Bought a framed panaramic photo of Mt McKinley at a photo shop in Talkeetna. Other than that, we did not buy much.

Alaskan souvenirs are really expensive. The first time we went (probably 10 years ago) we found a store in Sitka selling out their high end stuff. We knew the prices and these were a bargain. We got a stone carving of a Native Alaskan fishing. He has a bone face. We also got another Native Alaskan carved out of whale vertebra. The next time, we went low end. I got a small Native Alaskan tree ornament out of leather and fur. We bought some painted greeting cards we framed. We also got an Ulu knife. I regret not getting a very large mask of a raven painted red and black. Just beautiful.

I agree with whoever said Ulu knives.

I bought them as a gift for friends with arthritis and then found that everybody likes them.

The WORST has got to be the items made from moose droppings, like "Moose Dropping Earrings" or necklaces ... I'm not making this up!

Bill

I agree, the true Alaskan souveniers are very expensive. Basketry, for example, is becoming a lost art. Ulus are great. One thing I picked up was a story doll made of bone and fur. It is given to a child when they are born. Very cool.

MY

Believe it or not, Wal-Mart has a decent selection of Alaska souveniers. Fred Meyer has a few also.

We bought Alaskan Amber/Pale Ale T-shirts at Fred Meyer. Wal-Mart and many other places have Alaska Wild Berry products <http://www.alaskawildberryproducts.com/>.

Masks, yoyos, dolls made out of fur, hair and skin by Alaskans. We bought some at a craft coop in Anchorage and some from the locals in Barrow. Just starting to shed after 15 years.

People who say Alaskan souvenirs are expensive may not appreciate that craftspeople also want to be paid for their CRAFT--which indeed may be a dying art. If it isn't authentic, than "whatever". It's expensive at half the price. BUT these are no longer " aborigines squatting by the side of the road, and I'll do them a favor by buying their stuff for $1.50." Think about it. They are craftsmen, and deserve to be rewarded for an original work.

Gretchen - 2 posters indicated they were expensive, but no one said over-priced. I think they were commenting on actual cash price, not making any commentary on craftspeople not getting their due worth for their art.

...these are no longer "aborigines squatting by the side of the road, and I'll do them a favor by buying their stuff for $1.50." Think about it. They are craftsmen, and deserve to be rewarded for an original work.

Just what we needed--a lecture on what everybody knows. Thanks.

thanks Gail for correcting me..

brmsimmons: what are you interested in for souvenirs ? And the ULU knifes are great.. but watch the ones sold at Walmart or Fred Meyer - they are made in China...

frugal - the most confusing thing about this board is that there are sub-categories under which it appears possible to post. They are actually only useful for when one is doing a search, and even then they sometimes don't work. On an otherwise very wonderfully designed board why this is the way it is remains a mystery to me.

Now, can you answer a question for me that I have wondered about for decades (sorry that I am hijacking the post) - why are they called church keys - they do not look like the key to any church I have ever seen a key for, but I have heard them called that quite often.

For myself, a handmade in AK ulu. This particular shop only carried Alaska made items. Watch for a sign in the window. I bought less expensive ones for my sister and mother. Some of the least expensive sounveniers are notecards of Alaskan artists' works. Some of my favorite are photos of the northern lights with a paragraph about where and when the photo was taken. My husband had salmon and halibut sent to co-workers at home. Friends gave us some frozen home smoked salmon which we enjoyed and shared with friends back home on several occasions. I also like jams and jellies you can get at the public market in Anchorage as well as other farmers markets. Really great twig picture frame at the Girdwood Forest Faire. Check the Sealife Center gift shop in Seward.

I bought a stone carving and a mask made of whale bone at a little gallery. The peices were all done by native people who were in rehab for drug and alchohol problems. The proceeds go to the program and the peices are beautiful.

I got two silver pieces from a local jewery maker...not the shops the ship trys to sent you to....one is a Loon necklace and the other is a whale tale in a wave.

These are my special pieces and all were moderately expensive but not that bad. I think the stone carving was the most expensive at 190.00. I wanted a mask...I have a large collection of African masks but love the Pacific Northwest masks..but I couldn't find any that bridged the gap between 40.00 tourist junk and 2,000.00 fabulous. The one I liked the most was 5,500.00. I'll save that for my next life.

I also got stuff....like kitchen towels and socks. Socks with polar bear and whales and wolves and moose..very fun.

The best place for native crafts and artwork in Anchorage is the gift shop at the Alaska Native Hospital - http://www.anmc.org.

Note the hours are fairly limited. While you're there take a minute to walk around some of the corridors - some of the artworks and craft items on display are quite wonderful.

It's a good place to do your souvenir shopping - the best of good causes, fair prices, and next to no junk.

Note if flying or returning on a cruise - ulus are not welcome in some cases. You should check with your carrier before buying one. Having it shipped or mailing it yourself might be the best choice.

The bear claw salad utensils are neat- they're wooden and shaped like two bear claws.

My significant other loves to cook so I purchased him a really nice ulu that I picked out from this shop outside of Seward that now has a proud place on a little stand in our kitchen:
I.R.B.I. Custom Alaska Knives
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/alaska/kenai-peninsula-prince-wiliam-sound-and-homer/review-431527.html

Owner is really friendly; my friends and I lingered in the shop for some time talking to her. If you happen to like the Rolling Stones, ask to hear her story of their visit to the tiny shop.

Ditto on the Native Hospital - they have the real stuff - high quality and fairly priced - that's where we send our guests to shop if they want something special.

For someone to spend many thousands of dollars to come to Alaska on their dream vacation only to buy Chinese made 'Alaskan' souvenirs is something I just cannot understand.

Native peoples spend many hours crafting baskets, ivory carvings, and other high quality pieces of art which helps them earn extra money for themselves, their families and their villages. And by doing so, they are passing on traditions so often lost to many other indigenous cultures. Buying their wares allows them to pass on those trades from generation to generation.

For non-native artwork, shop the Saturday market in downtown Anchorage for a lot of local handicraft.

Something edible is the easiest - and most appreciated.

Adult children loved salmon jerky and salmonberry preserves (it's made of berries that have no salmon taste!) Also I got some local coffee and dark chocolate they raved about.

Coffee trees in Alaska? Who knew?

Dukey, I couldn't believe it myself! They sold coffee in the store with "local produce only".

Maybe the migrating salmon brings the beans along, you know, like that coffee that goes through the cat's body, very expensive

Went in 2005 and returning in 1 week!

Seward -- the gift shop in the Marine Aquatic Museum has many nice gifts -- we especially liked the etched glass mugs (in that beautiful cobalt blue and emerald green). I bought the puffins motifs -- sister bought the moose and I have to say they wash up great in the dishwasher. Buy at least 2 -- you won't regret it.

Anchorage -- if you are there on Sat/Sun they have the tent markets. We bought 2 items here from the local craft persons.

First item: Ornaments made from glacial clay designed and crafted by native people. I bought an "eagle" since I had an eagle fly 10 feet over my head and I was able to capture it on film. Inexpensive and they will pack it in styrofoam cup to protect it.

Second item: Daughter always has cold feet -- so when we spotted the beaver skin slippers -- tried them on and bought a pair secretly hoping they wouldn't fit her and I could keep them for myself. Well guess what? She loved them and wore them such that the insides are worn out. She wants another pair. They are not inexpensive but I have to say -- they were a really great gift and considering how much they were used -- well worth the money. I am definately looking forward to the market again this year and this time I am getting a pair for me!

Probably the most unusual item I purchased in Alasma was a carving made from fossilized wooly mammoth. I bought mine in Juneau, but this website shows you some examples: http://www.alaskanvillagearts.com/Fossil_Ivory_and_Bone_Carvings/fossil_mammoth_ivory/fossil_mammoth_ivory_carvings.htm

If you get an ulu knife, I recommend you buy a good one with a board. They're wonderful for mincing herbs and doing other fine chopping as long as you have a good blade. A lot of stuff that's sold there isn't very sharp.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! I had heard about the ulu knives and I'm definitely planning bringing back some unique berry preserves. For myself I typically look for a necklace, some kind of local arts or crafts and food (For example my last big trip was to Spain and I brought home a majorica pearl pendant, a beautiful handmade fan from Seville and Creme de Catalana-creme brulee flavored liquor!). I always like to ask this question as I've gotten many great ideas that I may not have heard of while perusing travel guides and websites. This is also somewhat of a budget trip to Alaska-if there is such a thing- so I will not be too terribly disappointed if all I come back with are my memories, some muddy hiking boots and a ton of photos!

Gail ~
The reason is that churches used to have big doors with big locks, with equally large keys. Churchkeys (the real ones) are often oversized hunks of metal, kinda like churchkeys, the bottle-opening kind.

I had to look this up - I really never wondered why...

Here in the south, bottle openers are known as "church keys" because we have many Baptist churches, who don't approve of drinking alcoholic beverages, and so people call beer openers "church keys" as a joke.

My husband brought back a mini totem pole for me.

I bought an ulu knife and it is fantastic - much easier on the hands than a regular knife. make sure you get one that is made there and not one of the made in China cheapies.

I also found a lot of artists/jewellers (especially in Ketchikan)and bought a beautiful necklace made from glacier glass - LOTS of compliments.

Have fun

I did my "shopping" from the day I arrived - looked at the stuff and decided what I wanted and how much it was.

I ended up bringing back lots of ULU knives and chopping boards. I got them at The Ulu Factory in Anchorage where you can learn more about them and see them made. I also got one at the Anchorage Saturday market that was made by a local artist with a lovely wood handle. I use mine all the time, great for cutting frozen chicken and filetting fish.

I got my niece and nephew wooden sunglasses from another place in/near anchorage. It was a tourist trap (with the "Worlds Tallest Chocolate Waterfall") but fun (and the food was great!).

Since I do a lot of bead work and beading is VERY popular there, I also got some jade beads and some mammoth bone beads.

It was also salmon season so I lugged back two whole salmon that were packed so well, the ice packs were still partially frozen when I unpacked them (bought them shortly before my flight back to the east coast)

First - in Alaska, there is a symbolk if the stores sell real Alaska created crafts, and I always looked for that. My favorite souvenirs (and I bought alot of stuff) were some earrings made by local craftsman (made with turquoise, gold and wooly mammoth tusk - not at all inexpensive, but absolutely gorgeous), I got hand made Christmas ornaments, a very cook doll and some beautiful pottery.