The Postal Service will release its Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture stamps on Friday, April 25.
Powwows are gatherings where Indigenous people celebrate through music, dance, art, pageantry and prayer. They also provide opportunities to socialize and introduce younger generations to tribal customs.
Powwows open with a grand entry parade with Native veterans, tribal elders, dancers and musicians. Events include traditional and competitive dancing, singing, arts and crafts, and the honoring of ancestors.
An important feature of any powwow dance is the dancer’s regalia — a mix of contemporary and traditional clothing chosen to reflect the dancer’s family, tribal origins and interests. Many have been passed down through generations.
The four stamps showcase paintings of Native American dancers by Mateo Romero, a Cochiti Pueblo artist:
• The first stamp shows a young woman in a teal dress and red scarf performing the crow hop against a blue and purple background.
• The second stamp features a woman dressed in brown and white regalia, performing the women’s traditional dance with an orange, yellow and green background.
• The third stamp depicts a women’s fancy shawl dancer in red, wearing a fringed cape — suggestive of a bird’s wing — against a background of turquoise, azure and gold.
• The fourth stamp shows a men’s hoop dancer in a blue vest with a matching headdress; fringed, multicolored breechcloth; and moccasins embellished with fur.
A large powwow drum — which is central to the celebrations — is showcased on the border surrounding the stamps.
Romero combined modern elements with a technique common among Native Americans from the northern coast of the Pacific Northwest. He photographed the dancers performing in traditional clothing, then painted over the photographs with brightly colored brushstrokes to create abstract expressionistic imagery that evokes both past and present.
Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the pane and selvage.
The Forever stamps will be available in panes of 20 at Post Offices and usps.com.
