Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture Forever Stamps
The U.S. Postal Service honors the vibrant traditions of Native American culture with a striking set of Forever stamps titled Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture.
Designed by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero, the stamps feature bold, expressive paintings of four traditional Native dances: Crow Hop, Women's Traditional, Women's Fancy Shawl, and Men's Hoop. Each image is based on real dancers, captured in motion and reimagined through Romero's colorful, abstract brushwork. A large powwow drum appears in the stamp pane's margin.
What Is a Powwow?
Powwows are joyful gatherings that celebrate Indigenous identity through dance, music, ceremony, and community. From grand entry parades to traditional and competitive dances, powwows connect generations and preserve tribal and intertribal customs.
Drums are central to the powwow, often called its heartbeat.Events include honoring ancestors, sharing food, selling crafts, and even prize competitions. While traditional dances reflect specific tribal heritage, competitive dances such as Fancy, Grass, Jingle, and Traditional bring together performers from across Native nations.
Held weekly across the country, powwows range from small local events to massive gatherings. The largest, the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, draws over 100,000 participants and spectators annually.
Issued in panes of 20, the Powwows stamps are Forever stamps, always equal to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
