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#5980

2025 First-Class Forever Stamp - Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture - Women's Fancy Shawl Dance

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US #5980
2025 Women’s Fancy Shawl

  • Part of Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture set
  • Honors Native American culture and heritage
  • Features original paintings by Native American artist

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  73¢, Fir...  more

US #5980
2025 Women’s Fancy Shawl

  • Part of Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture set
  • Honors Native American culture and heritage
  • Features original paintings by Native American artist

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  73¢, First Class mail rate, Forever
First Day of Issue:  April 25, 2025
First Day City:  Albuquerque, New Mexico
Quantity Issued:  4,500,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 20 stamps
Perforations:  Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of four issued to honor the gatherings of Native Americans known as Powwows.

About the stamp design: The images on the Powwow stamps are from original paintings by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero.  He took photographs of dancers during the performance of traditional dances, then painted over the photos to create his abstract paintings.  The colors and shapes of the background accent the dancers’ movements and highlight the traditional dress of each dancer.
Four designs feature the following dances: Women’s Traditional Dance, Crow Hop Dance, Men’s Hoop Dance, and Women’s Fancy Shawl Dance

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the largest powwow with over 100,000 people attending

About the Powwows set:  The rhythm echoes across the arena, calling dancers to the floor.  Their regalia gleams – beaded yokes, flowing fringe, feathered bustles – each piece carrying stories of tradition, family, and resilience.  The powwow is more than a celebration, it is a living expression of Native identity, a powerful link between past and present.
Powwows have been held for generations, bringing together tribes from across North America.  Once outlawed under US government policies that sought to suppress Indigenous culture, these gatherings endured, evolving into vibrant expressions of survival and pride.  Today, powwows remain central to native communities, uniting people in dance, song, and ceremony. 
This set honors four distinct powwow styles.  The Crow Hop is rooted in the traditions of the Crow people.  The Women’s Traditional Dance embodies strength and grace.  The Women’s Fancy Shawl Dance, often called the “butterfly dance,” symbolizes renewal.  Last, the Men’s Hoop Dance is a breathtaking display of agility and storytelling that reflects the cycles of life. 
With each beat of the drum and every step in the arena, powwow dancers keep their traditions alive, ensuring that the spirit of their ancestors will never fade.  These stamps celebrate the Native American culture and its unbreakable connection to the past.

History this stamp represents:  A hush falls over the arena.  The drum begins, its rhythm, building like the wind before a storm.  A Fancy Shawl Dancer soars across the floor, arms outstretched, fringed shawl billowing like wings.
The Fancy Dance is one of the most exhilarating sights at a powwow.  Born from the Wild West shows of the early 1900s, this style was once a flashy exhibition meant to entertain crowds.  But Native dancers reclaimed it, transforming it into a deeply meaningful tradition of strength and endurance.  Two primary styles emerged: Fancy War Dance (performed by men) and Fancy Shawl Dance (performed by women).
The Fancy Shawl Dance is a modern evolution of traditional women’s dances.  Inspired by the grace of butterflies, this style is known for its speed, agility, and breathtaking twirls.  Unlike the slower, grounded movements of the Women’s Traditional Dance, Fancy Shawl Dancers leap and spin with boundless energy, their shawls creating a dazzling display of color and motion.
Today, Fancy Dance is a highlight of powwows across North America. Though it is one of the newer powwow dances, its origins are deeply tied to the survival of Native traditions—proving that culture will always find a way to rise.

 
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