What:

The U.S. Postal Service will unveil the Raven Story Forever Stamp at the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, AK.

Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast, part of the area that ranges from Southeast Alaska through coastal British Columbia and south into Washington state.

News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #RavenStoryStamp and #NativeAmericanRavenStory.

The Raven Story stamps can be preordered at USPS.com.

The story behind the stamps will also be featured on the U.S. Postal Service Facebook and Twitter pages, posting at 5 p.m. ET on July 30, 2021. A pictorial postmark of the designated first-day-of-issue city, Juneau, is available at usps.com/shopstamps.

Who:

Jakki Krage Strako, U.S. Postal Service chief commerce and business solutions officer and executive vice president

Marlene Johnson, chair, Sealaska Heritage Institute Board of Trustees

Beth Weldon, mayor of Juneau

Frank Henry Kaash Katasse, playwright, actor, and educator

Lance (X’unei) A. Twitchell, associate professor of Alaska Native Languages, University of Alaska Southeast

Rico Worl, stamp artist

When:

Friday, July 30, 2021, at 11 a.m. AKDT

Where:

Sealaska Heritage Institute
105 S. Seward St.
Juneau, AK 99801

Background:

The stamp was created by Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl. The stamp design depicts a raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. To create the stamp art, Worl used formline, the traditional design style of the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast. The art director is Antonio Alcalá.

Among the cultures of the region, the raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. The stamp is inspired by the traditional story of the raven setting the sun, moon and stars free.

The Raven Story stamps are being issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1‑ounce price.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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