Chief Standing Bear stamp ceremony details announced

By Jay Bigalke

The United States Postal Service will hold a first-day ceremony for the Chief Standing Bear commemorative forever stamp May 12 at the Centennial Mall between P and Q streets in Lincoln, Neb. A statue of Chief Standing Bear is located nearby.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. (Central Daylight Time) Friday, May 12.

The ceremony is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/chiefstandingbear.

Ceremony participants will include Anton G. Hajjar, vice chairman of the U.S. Postal Service board of governors; Candace Schmidt, chairwoman of the Ponca Tribe; and Judi M. Gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission of Indian Affairs.

“The U.S. Postal Service holds reverence for Chief Standing Bear by honoring him with a forever stamp,” the U.S. Postal Service said in its press release. “In 1879, Standing Bear won a landmark court ruling that determined a Native American was a person under the law with an inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The stamp shows a portrait of Chief Standing Bear by Thomas Blackshear II, based on a black-and-white photograph taken in 1877. Blackshear relied on contemporary descriptions for the colors of Standing Bear’s attire.

The stamp was designed by Derry Noyes. The pane of 20 features a close-up of the stamp portrait.

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