Alaska Native artist creates stamp

His Raven Story image first by Tlingit member

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Native artist Rico Worl said he jumped at the chance to create for the U.S. Postal Service a stamp he hopes will be a gateway for people to learn about his Tlingit culture.

A ceremony marking the release of Worl’s Raven Story stamp is set for Friday in Juneau, where Worl lives.

“I think a lot of people already are learning that there’s a lot more richness in authentic work, and authentic work from Indigenous people and the stories that are there,” he said.

Worl said his Twitter following exploded from five to more than 8,000 after he shared the Postal Service’s tweet highlighting the stamp announcement earlier this month, with his own quote tweet adding: “I did a thing.”

People seem excited, he said. “They know it’s something different, and they want to be a part of that,” Worl told The Associated Press.

Raven, a trickster or transformer, is a key figure in Tlingit culture. Worl described as an influence for the stamp a story in which Raven discovers that a clan leader had in his possession the sun, moon and stars. Raven assumed human form to share those items with the world. The stars were in the last box Raven opened.

In a statement, Worl said he wanted to showcase “a bit of drama,” with Raven trying to hold onto as many stars as possible while transforming back into bird form during a frenzied escape.

The Sealaska Heritage Institute, which is hosting the unveiling, said this is the first stamp by a Tlingit artist. The Postal Service said it plans to feature the story behind the stamp on social media.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for the Postal Service who worked with Worl on the stamp, said he became aware of Worl’s work while at a gift shop at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The shop carried work by Worl and his sister, Crystal Worl, through their Trickster Co. Alcalá said a basketball stood out.

David Rupert, a Postal Service spokesperson, said that 18 million Raven Story stamps are being produced. He said a stamp unveiling, like the one set for Friday, is meant to be a “momentous occasion.”

Becky Bohrer The Associated Press Alaska Native artist Rico Worl displays an image on his monitor of the U.S. Postal Service stamp he created Thursday at his studio in Juneau, Alaska.