The National Postal Museum celebrates American Indian history by providing online resources about the role of American Indians in the postal service and philately.
Native Themes in New Deal-Era Murals
There is much to be discerned about the post office murals from the 1930s and 1940s, and what they can tell us about the way we see, and have seen, the world.
Like all artists who seek to portray Sacagawea, Mark Hess had room to be creative, but he made sure he was well informed about Lewis and Clark’s interpreter. He researched earlier portraits and sculptures of her, studied the earliest photographs of Shoshone women, and modeled Sacagawea’s clothing on artifacts from the period.
Leadership, Accomplishment and Cultural Celebration
Historic American Indian leaders honored here on postage stamps, exemplify a wide range of reaction to the radical confrontations that would drastically affect the traditions and culture of their peoples. Some chose resistance and war; others chose a path of adaptation and accommodation to a new way of life. In all cases, these leaders of nations were elder representatives of huge extended families, and their commitment to future generations was paramount.