I learned these skills from my dad- Don Johnston. I do a coil weave basket design. I use baleen from a bowhead whale and Ivory from a walrus. I cut, split and shave the baleen into long thin strips for weaving. I carve the finials out of walrus Ivory, then sand, polish and drill holes in the base to weave the baleen through. Any ivory that Is not white is fossilized ivory and is thousands of years old. Any baleen that is white instead of black is much rarer and only comes from older, female whales.