Full name of the issue: “Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture.” Announced by the USPS on December 16, 2024:
The Postal Service strives to tell the stories of all Americans on its stamps, and issuing stamps that honor the living culture and heritage of Indigenous people is an important part of that goal. These stamps celebrate powwows, Native American social and ceremonial gatherings that feature music, dance and festive regalia. For this issuance, Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero created original paintings of four powwow dancers performing their craft against brightly colored backgrounds that highlight each dancer’s movement and traditional dress. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps.
Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent information at the top.
Updated June 11th:
The Scott catalogue numbers for these stamps are:
5978 (73¢) Powwows – Crow Hop Dance
a. Imperforate
5979 (73¢) Powwows – Women’s Traditional Dance
a. Imperforate
5980 (73¢) Powwows – Women’s Fancy Shawl Dance
a. Imperforate
5981 (73¢) Powwows – Men’s Hoop Dance
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. or vert. strip of 4, #5978-5981
c. Imperforate horiz. or vert. strip of 4, #5978a-5981a
Updated March 20th:
[media advisory] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
USPS Celebrates Native American Culture with Powwow Stamps
What: The U.S. Postal Service will hold a first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture stamps at the annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, NM.
News of the Forever stamps is being shared with the hashtag #PowwowsStamps.-
Who: Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s chief customer and marketing officer and executive vice president, will serve as the dedicating official.-
When: Friday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m. MDT-
Where:
Gathering of Nations Pow Wow
Tingley Coliseum / Expo New Mexico
300 San Pedro Drive NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
RSVP: Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at www.usps.com/powwowsstamps. USPS will have a limited number of admission tickets and guests must register to receive one.-
Background: Powwows are festive gatherings where Indigenous people can celebrate their identities through dance, prayer, music and art. The largest powwow is the annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with more than 100,000 attendees.
These ceremonies open with a grand entry parade featuring Native veterans, tribal elders, dancers, and musicians. In addition to traditional and competitive dancing, main events include singing, pageantry, the honoring of ancestors, arts and crafts, and giveaways or donations to those in need.
The four powwow stamps showcase original paintings of Native American dancers by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero. The artist took photographs of the dancers in their traditional clothing while performing and then painted on top of the images. The stamps include the Women’s Traditional Dance, Crow Hop Dance, Men’s Hoop Dance, and Women’s Fancy Shawl Dance.
Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.99″ x 1.28″
The Pictorial Postmark measures 1.47″ x 1.30″
From the Postal Bulletin:
On April 25, 2025, in Albuquerque, NM, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 486400). These stamps will go on sale nationwide April 25, 2025, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture commemorative pane of 20 stamps must not be split and the stamps must not be sold individually.
Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture stamps honor these vibrant North American Native gatherings and their unique contribution to our American culture. Four new stamps, in a pane of 20, showcase original paintings of four Native American powwow dancers by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero. The dances featured are Crow Hop, Women’s Traditional, Women’s Fancy Shawl, and Men’s Hoop. A large powwow drum is showcased on the selvage along with the title of the issuance. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps and the stamp pane.
Automatic distribution.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
FDOI – Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by August 25, 2025.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture Stamps
Item Number: 486400
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (4 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: April 25, 2025, Albuquerque, NM 87101
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Artist: Mateo Romero, Santa Fe, NM
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Flexographic
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.8400 x 1.4200 in. / 21.3360 x 36.0680 mm.
Overall Size (w x h): 0.9800 x 1.5600 in. / 24.8920 x 39.6240 mm.
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.9200 x 8.0000 in. / 150.3680 x 203.2000 mm.
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.9650 x 16.1250 in. / 303.9110 x 409.5750 mm.
Plate Size: 80 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: -“B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: POWWOWS: Celebrating Native American Culture • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: © 2024 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (486400) • Plate position diagram (4) • Promotional text
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