This cache is located on the sidewalk across the street from a small and unassuming house in downtown Anchorage that actually is an Alaska Native cooperative. I recommend it for tourists wanting to learn about Alaska culture. The muskox thrive through winters in the arctic, so it makes sense that their wool is the warmest, doesn't it?
Muskox (also called "oomingmak" by Alaska Natives) are a very large and unique animal to the boreal north. The muskox has a two-layered coat, and qiviut (or "kiviet") refers specifically to the soft underwool beneath the longer outer wool. The muskox sheds this layer of wool each spring. Qiviut is plucked from the coat of the muskox during the molt or gathered from objects the animals have brushed against; unlike sheep, the animals are not sheared. In Alaska, qiviut is obtained from farmed animals or gathered from the wild during the molt. Some say that Qiviut is stronger and warmer than sheep's wool, and softer than cashmere wool. For a video about muskox and qiviut, click here.