Elk do carry ivory, though not the kind you’re thinking of. Bulls and cows both have two small, rounded teeth in the upper jaw that hunters call ivories or whistlers. They are not tusks, and they are not the same material as elephant ivory. They are what remains of weapons that elk no longer need. The teeth are small but they last, and people from Plains families to fraternal lodges have made them a sign of status.
What Elk Ivories Are and Where to Find Them
Each ivory is an upper canine tooth, one on each side, set in the gap of gum behind where the lower front teeth meet the upper pad. Elk have no upper front teeth, so the canines are the only teeth in that part of the upper jaw. The idea that these teeth make the elk’s bugle or whistle is an old tale.1MeatEater. How to Clean Elk Ivories The bugle is produced in the throat and airway, and the animal’s head and open mouth amplify it. A calf or cow that has lost its ivories can still call, which shows the teeth play no part.
On a harvested elk, open the mouth and run a finger along the upper gum, just behind where the front teeth would be. Each ivory feels like a smooth, rounded knob about the size of a fingertip. They are easy to miss on a dark, bloody gum, so check by feel. Check both sides, since one may be broken or worn.
Some small deer still carry long, fang-like upper canines: the water deer and the muntjacs.2PubMed Central. Hypercanines: Not just for sabertooths Those two groups are only distantly related, which suggests tusks were once common across deer.3PubMed Central. Hypercanines: Not just for sabertooths
Elephant and walrus ivory come from tusks, which are long, growing teeth. Elk ivories are short and stop growing once fully formed. They are built like any other tooth, with a hard outer enamel layer over a core of dentin, which is why they are hard and survive long after bone has crumbled. True ivory is a name for dentin from tusks, so “elk ivory” is a hunter’s and jeweler’s nickname for a real tooth.
How to Tell a Bull’s Ivories From a Cow’s
In calves, ivories look the same whether the calf is male or female.4Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories In adults, the two sexes differ in shape.5Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories Cow ivories look angular, with roots that taper.6Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories Bull ivories are usually rounder and larger, with blocky, nearly square roots.7Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories The root, the part hidden in the jaw, tells the sexes apart best. Look at the root end rather than only the crown. A tooth set in a ring hides its root, and then the sex may be impossible to tell. A young bull’s ivories may resemble a cow’s, and years of wear change how the crown looks, so compare shape as well as size.
These shape differences are tendencies, not guarantees, so a worn, broken, or unusual tooth can be hard to call even with the root in view. The best comparison is against ivories from elk of known sex, such as ones you have taken yourself.
Why Some Ivories Are White and Others Brown
Some ivories are pearly white while others are stained deep brown.8Colorado Outdoors Online. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories Tannins in the plants elk eat stain the teeth.9Colorado Outdoors Online. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories Saliva and the acids from the elk rechewing its cud add to the color.10Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories Color often fades toward the root, which was in the gum, while the crown that was exposed in the mouth is darker.
Two ivories from the same elk can still differ. Each tooth sits slightly differently in the mouth and may be exposed to different chewing and staining. Surface cracks and chips take up stain more readily, so a damaged tooth can look darker in patches.
Many hunters prize dark, rich-colored ivories, while others prefer white ones for jewelry. The stain is part of the surface, so heavy cleaning can remove the character. Decide what look you want before you clean.
How to Remove and Clean Elk Ivories
Remove the ivories while the head is still in the field or at camp, because the gum is soft and the teeth come free more easily than after the tissue dries. Rinse off blood with plain water first so you can see the tooth edge and the root’s direction. Then cut the gum around the tooth with a small knife and lever it free. The root runs deeper than the visible knob, so prying too soon can snap it. Work around the tooth until it loosens before pulling, and keep your knife point away from the enamel, since a slip can leave a permanent scratch.
Do not soak ivories in ammonia, bleach, or other strong cleaners. They can cause cracks or widen cracks already present.11Ganoksin Orchid Jewelry Forum Community for Jewelers and Metalsmiths. Cleaning Elk Molar Ivory Jewelers scrape away dried tissue with pumice and fine drill bits.12Ganoksin Orchid Jewelry Forum Community for Jewelers and Metalsmiths. Cleaning Elk Molar Ivory Light side stains can be buffed away with a polishing compound on a soft wheel.13Ganoksin Orchid Jewelry Forum Community for Jewelers and Metalsmiths. Cleaning Elk Molar Ivory Jewelers polish after setting, because polished teeth are slippery to handle.14Ganoksin Orchid Jewelry Forum Community for Jewelers and Metalsmiths. Cleaning Elk Molar Ivory
At home, soak the teeth in plain warm water to soften the tissue, then scrub with an old toothbrush. Pick out what remains with a toothpick, and let them dry slowly at room temperature. Boiling teeth to clean them can crack them. Store pairs together, and keep them away from heat, which can dry and crack them.
How to Tell If Elk Ivory Is Real
A real ivory has the rounded, slightly bulbous shape of a tooth crown. It is harder than bone and feels dense and heavy for its size.15Wild Jewelry. How to Tell If Your Elk Ivory is Real – Wyld Jewelry Plastic or resin copies often look too even and too glossy.16Wild Jewelry. How to Tell If Your Elk Ivory is Real – Wyld Jewelry Over years of handling, real ivory can darken to a yellowish patina, though old resin can yellow too.17Wild Jewelry. How to Tell If Your Elk Ivory is Real – Wyld Jewelry
Look closely under good light. A real tooth often shows fine natural cracks, tiny pits, or faint lines of wear, while molded copies are usually smooth and flawless. Real ivories are a bit uneven from tooth to tooth, so a set of pieces identical in size and shape is a warning sign. If a piece is drilled, look at the hole edges: real tooth shows a hard, slightly gritty edge, and some molded copies show a seam line where two halves joined. Natural stains are normal on real ivories, so stains alone don’t mean a piece is fake, and old resin can also yellow.
For inherited pieces, remember that lodge pins and fobs from the early 1900s often held real ivories. Look at the backing for wear and old settings, and ask the family where the piece came from. A matched pair may come from one animal.
If the piece may be valuable or you plan to sell it, a jeweler or appraiser familiar with Western or tribal pieces can usually tell real teeth from resin by sight and handling. Ask whether it is elk tooth, since look-alikes include other animal teeth and carved bone, and these are not always easy to tell apart at home.
Why Elk Ivories Have Been Prized
Elk ivories decorated clothing in pre-contact and historic Alberta and carried symbolic meaning.18Open Alberta. Elk ivory pendants in Alberta Peoples of the northern plains used them for decoration and once as a kind of currency.19The Library of Congress. Caught My Eye: The Girl in the Elk Tooth Dress | Folklife Today Each elk gives only two, so covering a dress took years of hunting or trading.20The Library of Congress. Caught My Eye: The Girl in the Elk Tooth Dress | Folklife Today An 1890 Apsáalooke (Crow) child’s wool dress carries dozens of ivories, a sign of how much a family valued its children.21Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Museum Minute: Elk Teeth on a Crow Dress Displays Importance of Children A dress shows a family’s status, hunting skill, and trading ability, and women still wear them at ceremonies.22The Library of Congress. Caught My Eye: The Girl in the Elk Tooth Dress | Folklife Today
Each tooth was drilled with one hole and sewn on. Ivories could cover just the shoulders or reach to the knees, and families added more over time as they obtained them. The finished dress was handed down.
Because the teeth are small, hard, and do not spoil, they could be carried, stored, and traded without losing value. That same durability is why antique pieces survive in museums and families today.
Old dresses and pieces may be cultural heritage. Museums and tribal groups can help identify them, and ivories should not be removed from old garments.
An elk ivory watch fob became a symbol of prestige.23Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories It served as the unofficial emblem of the Elks lodge, whose members numbered in the hundreds of thousands.24Montana Outdoors. Do Elk Have Ivory? The Truth About Elk Ivories
Is It Legal to Keep or Sell Elk Ivory
Elk ivory is legal to sell in many areas if it comes from a legally harvested elk.25Wild Jewelry. Elk Ivory FAQ Elk are a managed game animal and are not protected the way elephants are. The legal question turns on how the animal was taken, not on whether the tooth itself is protected. Rules on selling game parts differ by state and province, and some places restrict certain parts even from legally taken animals, so check with your state wildlife agency before buying or selling. Shipping across state lines can bring added rules, so check both the origin and the destination before mailing a sale.
Save your hunting license or tag, and keep the dates the ivories were taken. Rules are often stricter about ivories found in the wild, such as from a dead elk, so this record shows the teeth came from a legal hunt.
Before buying, ask the seller how the elk was taken and when; an honest seller can usually answer plainly. Before selling, call your state wildlife agency, ask directly about selling elk teeth, and note who you spoke to and when. Be careful with pieces sold as elk ivory but described as fossil or walrus, since different materials fall under different laws.