Set of 5: 1990 Native American Tribe Series

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CODY. W25USA 17 1990 82414 Assiniboine CODY, 5USA 17 1990 82414 Cheyenne 25USA CODY, GOGOGGOO 17 1990 82414 Comanche CODY, W25US 17 1990 82414 Flathead CODY, 5US 25USA 17 1990 82414 Shoshone

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ASSINIBOINE First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming The showy, elaborate headdress, as in all Assiniboine clothing, reflected the tribe's taste for the beautiful and colorful. Materials obtained in trade were often used in their clothing, with such items as their headdresses con- taining wool, brass tacks, beads, felt and other cloth. The headdresses also contained items of the land — eagle feathers and ermine. Early travelers into the northern plains of the Assiniboine were immensely impressed by the tribe. George Catlin, an artist who traveled the area in 1832, noted of the Assiniboine that they “are undoubtedly the finest-looking, best-equipped, and most beautifully costumed of any on the Continent ..." Living in the rolling, open prairie of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, the Assiniboine were influenced early on by British traders of the Hudson Bay Company. The Cree Indians to the north were close allies of the Assiniboine and acted as “go-betweens" with their southern neigh- bors and the British of the Far North. No. 90-28 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely CHEYENNE First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming For the Cheyenne, as for all Indians, the elaborate feath- ered headdress was a symbol of immense power and great medicine. Those who wore it were the recipients of that power. One such Cheyenne warrior was the mighty Bat — known as Roman Nose to the whites — who stood six-foot, three-inches tall and was thought to be invin- cible in battle. Roman Nose wore a magic headdress so powerful that whenever Roman Nose wore it into battle, he was untouchable; bullets and arrows whizzed past him time and again. The huge man delighted in proving his prowess, loping on his horse casually across the enemy's line of fire without harm. However, the medicine of this headdress was neutralized if Roman Nose hap- pened to eat anything served with an iron instrument. Accordingly, he diligently avoided the white man's uten- sils. But on the eve of a battle with fifty frontiersmen in 1868, he accidentally ate a piece of bread taken from a skillet with a fork. The next day, Roman Nose was mortally wounded on the battlefield. No. 90-29 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely COMANCHE First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming Today, the headdress of the Comanche resembles that of the Sioux and other tribes of the northern plains. But long before the Comanche were placed on reservations where they adopted such garb, they had developed a very distinctive headdress all their own. This was the infamous horned headdress, made from the scalp of a buffalo bull with the horns still attached. Fierce Comanche warriors wearing such garb were a frightening sight to their ene- mies as they charged to battle upon their legendary horses. To the Comanche, the mighty buffalo bull was an animal with great stamina and power — qualities which were necessary in war. The headdress might also contain a bit of hair from a favored horse because the Comanche, over all tribes, loved a good horse. Before horses were introduced into the New World by the Spanish, the Comanche lived in the Rocky Mountains and were actu- ally an off-shoot of the Shoshone tribe. But the tribe moved down onto the flat, open southern plains in the late 1600s and became expert horsemen. No. 90-30 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely FLATHEAD First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming Though many Indian tribes clashed time and again with the invading white men, early relations between whites and the Flatheads were generally friendly. This friendship was reflected in the headdresses of the tribe. Made from the tail feathers of a Golden Eagle, the headdress often contained products obtained in trade with the white man, such as wool, felt, beads and other items. Typically used only for very important events, the headdress was most often worn into battle with the tribe's neighbors and traditional enemies, the Blackfeet. The Flathead Indians traded often with the white man, first in beaver pelts during the mountain man era, then in buffalo robes as the demand for beaver tapered off. The Flathead tribe also adopted Christianity, with a Jesuit priest, Father Peter John De Smet playing an important role in converting many. Among the early pioneers, the Flathead were thought to be intelligent, honest and peaceful. No. 90-31 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely SHOSHONE First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming Into the headdress of the Shoshone went pieces of the north-central Rocky Mountains where they lived. From the high, rocky crags came the tail feathers of a Golden Eagle; the deep snows of the high country yielded the fur of an ermine; from forests of pine and spruce came the feathers of the flicker and the quills of a porcupine. And each piece of the headdress had a special meaning: the ermine fur and eagle feathers gave the wearer protection ... the flicker feathers had healing powers. Great effort went into the making of each headdress — prepared by the elders through an elaborate ceremony and accompa- nying song — thus only the very great men of the Shoshone wore this badge of prestige and honor. Among the Shoshone, the chieftain did not obtain his prowess through heredity, it was obtained only through acts of bravery and valor. These deeds were then reflected in the headband of the war bonnet – for every great feat two holes were awarded. No. 90-32 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely