Native Americans On US Stamps

I think I have finally made a decision on my topical collection. According to this link there are 60 U.S. stamps with Native Americans displayed on them, since my fathers family were Cherokee I think its a great place to start. Enjoy the link, I know I did, lots of history. http://arago.si.edu/flash/?eid=385|s1%3D6|

I know I'm not alone in believing that the US #565 is the handsomest depiction of the human face on any American stamp. It amazes me that the postal department chose to make it a 14 cent stamp. Should have been on the two cent rate of the day. On a somewhat related topic, what was USPS thinking when they neglected to put Jay Silverheels (Tonto) with the Lone Ranger on #4414? Instead they put "Silver", the Lone Ranger's horse, on it. Now I ask you, who had a bigger part on the show - Tonto or that "expletive deleted" horse? Kimosabe, who saved the Lone Ranger's bacon every Saturday afternoon? It wasn't that horse that's for sure!

A great topic to explore. I have been looking around for Native American postmarks or language on postmarks but have had no luck. Being from Scotland I know, as yet, very little about the postal systems within the Native American lands. I had thought that being semi-independent there would be more postal items from Native American sources. I hope to see more from your or any source.

Scotzm

(Who didn't see this coming?)...

Hello and RedHawke! I too have Native American ancestry I'm Mohawk and Crow (as well as German & English) So I too have a soft spot for Native Americans depicted on US Postage stamps. Nice to make your acquaintance! -Jay

What a great link, thanks for sharing. I hope you will share your collection with us as you build it.

Nice link - I have been collecting native american stamps and will enjoy seeing your stamps and posting some of my own. We'll be back.

lpmiller "Tonto" Jay Silverhills or Harold J. Smith was Canadian born of the Canadian Mohawk First Nations (which should be of interest to Jay). He was an avid lacrosse player and a very good boxer, leading to a life of acting must of been an exciting journey for him.
Scotzm I havent found much but talk of the independent postage marks and such from the tribal postal systems but do continue to investigate. I will keep you in the loop as discoveries are made.
Jay I am looking as we speak for MNHOG examples of SC 287 and 565 to start this thing rolling. I found one nice 287 but not very well centered so still thinking about it. My thought was to get the hard ones out of the way so I can sit back and enjoy the rest of the journey.
Stampgal glad you enjoyed the link, I sure did when I discovered it. I have been a bit surprised by not finding much on this great site about the fantastic native american stamps out there, most are very interesting if not down right beautiful. Once I get a few stamps that are in this collection, I will start scanning them to this page but I gotta get that darn scanner first.
Scouter please do, us newbies need all the help we can get and pictures sure help.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by, I am very happy that I have found a home with like minded people.

Here is another neat link to study.
http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/po...cts-2011.pdf

Thank you Jay its very nice to be here and have such a fine resources available. I am amazed at the amount of knowledge on this forum and the helpful folks. Still trying to decide on best option to house this collection. I think stock books with mounts but then I read that some use the Vario pages only and seem to be fine. Just unsure, we are going to a stamp show in San Antonio in April so I will get a first hand look and then try to decide. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Comanche headdress, designed by American artist Lunda Hoyle Gill (1928-2003), combined engraved by Thomas R. Hipschen (vignette) and Gary J. Slaght (lettering) and lithogravure, and issued by the USA on August 17, 1990 as one of a set of five stamps showing various Plains Indian headdresses, Scott No. 2503. When I was a boy, they were often referred to as "war bonnets."

Historical/family note: In the spring of 1840, a few months before the infamous Comanche raid on Linnville, Texas, my great grandmother's seventeen-year-old uncle, Charley Soules, and his brother-in-law, Rodney Baker, went out early one morning to round up cattle near Onion Creek, a few miles southeast of Austin. There they were ambushed by a band of marauding Comanches. Their hideously mutilated corpses were found the next day. Bark on the trees in the surrounding area was chipped with gunshot and arrowheads. It was evident that Uncle Charley had put up a darned good fight because the Comanches had eaten his heart, which was their custom when they had finally killed an unusually brave fighter.

- nethryk

These aren't exactly Native Americans featured on Stamps, but nonetheless there are Natives on the Stamps.

Chief Joseph (1840-1904) was the leader of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce during the U.S. Army's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho in 1877. For his principled resistance to the removal, Chief Joseph was renowned as a humanitarian and peacemaker. Here is an image of a stamp depicting a portrait of Chief Joseph, designed by Robert J. Jones and Crimilda Pontes after an oil painting (1878) by American artist Cyrenius Hall (1830-1896), combined engraved by Edward R. Felver (vignette) and William R. Burnell (lettering) and lithogravure, and issued by the USA on November 4, 1968 to honor the American Indian and to celebrate the opening of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., Scott No. 1364, plus a photo of the original painting by Hall.

- nethryk

Native Americans have appeared on stamps of the USSR. Stamps were devoted to the novels of Fenimore Cooper

Picked up this beauty a few weeks ago, again, not featured but Natives on Stamps nonetheless.

Canada and Guernsey jointly issued these stamps featuring a Native American. Does anyone know of any Native American cache or postmark on a cover apart from the Queenston, Ontario one? I thought of ordering the joint issue FDC but I know both Guernsey and the Queenston postmarks were applied by Guernsey Post for that issue. A genuine postmark originating in Canada would suit me better. I could in theory order one FDC from each country and end up with two "real" postmarks.