US #5981
2025 Men’s Hoop Dance

• 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¢...  more

US #5981
2025 Men’s Hoop Dance

• 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 single hoop spins through the air.  Then another.  And another.  Soon, the dancer is weaving them together in a mesmerizing display of balance, agility, and storytelling.  The Hoop Dance is not just a feat of athleticism, it is a sacred tradition, a symbol of the interconnectedness of all life.  
This dance has been performed for centuries by tribes across North America, each with their own variations and meanings.  Traditionally, the hoops represent the never-ending cycles of life, from birth to death to rebirth.  Dancers use their hoops to form shapes such as eagles or butterflies with each transformation telling a story of nature, struggle, and renewal.
Once performed as a healing ceremony, the Hoop Dance evolved into a spectacular powwow performance, dazzling audiences with its complex maneuvers and lightning-fast footwork.  Dancers may use as few as four hoops or as many as 50.  Their swift, precise movements reflect harmony between body, mind, and spirit.  
The Hoop Dance is more than a test of skill.  It reflects life itself, all challenges, the beauty, and its endless cycles. With each graceful turn, the dancer ensures that this sacred tradition continues unbroken, spinning into the future.