Alaskan Stainless Steel Cutlery from Savoonga

ca. 1940 - 1950

10" L 

Hand Crafted from Stainless Steel with Walrus Ivory Handles By Eskimo Carvers from the Village of Savoonga and Respectively with 3.5" Carved Bear Handle. From the Juneau Alaska and Southwest Collection of E Marie Clements Wingerson who lived in Juneau from 1939 - 1965, Phoenix, 1965-1985 and retired in Seattle. Her father was a homesteader in Juneau working as a mechanic at Excursion Inlet Fish Cannery. 

In Very Good Condition

Alaskan Stainless Steel Cutlery from Savoonga is vintage handmade pieces crafted by Siberian Yupik (Eskimo) carvers in the village of Savoonga, located on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska.

These are mid-20th-century items (circa 1940–1950), featuring stainless steel blades paired with handles carved from walrus ivory. They blend traditional Native Alaskan craftsmanship—especially intricate ivory carving—with imported modern materials like stainless steel for the functional cutting edges.

Savoonga is known for skilled ivory carvers who create art and utilitarian objects from walrus ivory (a key resource in the region). These cutlery sets (often knives, forks, or similar utensils) were made for both local use and sale to outsiders, reflecting post-WWII era adaptations where Western-style flatware met Indigenous artistry.