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Wednesday, 6 June 2012

67) Native American Themed $1(one dollar) Coins: Issued by the U.S. Mint:


67) Native American Themed $1 (one dollar) Coins:
Issued by the U.S. Mint:

 Based on the “Native American $1 Coin Act” of 2007, the U.S. Mint has commenced a programme in 2009 for issuing one dollar coins commemorating the important landmarks and immense contributions of the Indian Tribes and individual Native Americans which have left a mark on the history and development of the United States of America.  

 This programme is being implemented under statutory requirements, that, 20 percent of all $1 coins issued by various US Mints in any year should feature Native American themes. 

 The programme centres around bringing out/conceiving of a different Native American theme for the $1 coin every year and the programme is to continue at least till such time, that, another one dollar programme, which is featuring four past American Presidents each year on the one dollar coin is to continue, whereafter a view to continue the Native American programme further or not will be taken. 

Meanwhile, the Native American $1 Coins will continue to be issued in chronological order of the events or lives of the persons being depicted/featured on the reverse. 

 It may be interesting to know that the circulating Presidential dollar coins were not being received enthusiastically by the American citizens primarily due to their large size and weight, which was inconvenient to carry around in wallets and pockets, and the recent prevalent use of convenient cashless payment channels.  The one – dollar coins’ present day use is primarily confined to vending machines for rides on mass transit, pay and display machines, parking meters etc. 

As such, in December 2011, the US Mint has stopped minted of the “circulating” Presidential dollar coins and Sacagawea dollar coins and these coins are being issued only through direct numismatic sales either through Commemorative coin sets or bullion coins.

Themes issued so far:

The themes so far have included,

- a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash (2009),

-  the Hiawatha belt with 5 arrows bound together in a belt, signifying peace among six great Indian Nations –  “ The Great Law of Peace” or the “Haudenosaunee”   (2010), 

- A ceremonial peace pipe  being held in the hands of the Supreme Sachem Ousamequin Massoit and Governor John Carver –   “The Wampanoag Treaty, 1621”(2011), 
- and a Native American and horse in profile, showing horses running in the background representing the spread of horses in distribution of trade around the United States of America (2012).

The themes in detail:

Sacagawea:


An image of a statue of Sacagawea

The obverse on all Native American coins has the now familiar design of a Native Indian woman (Sacagawea) with her infant son (introduced in US Coinage in 2000) with the inscriptions “Liberty” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” (the motto introduced by the US Congress in 1956).

Sacagawea or Sakakawea or Sacajawea was a Lemhi Shoshone woman (1788-1812), who had a very colourful life.

In 1800, at the age of 12, she was kidnapped after a battle with a rival tribe, married Toussaint Charbonneau, a Quebec trapper who won her in gambling, joined Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke during their exploration of the Western United States as an interpreter and Guide. 
During the expedition, she is credited to have travelled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean during 1804 and 1806. 


 A five cents coin ( popularly called the "nickel") issued in 2004 commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition bicentennial under the US Mint "Westward Journey" Commemoratives issued in 2004 and 2005.



A five cents coin issued by the US Mint in 2005, commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition  on its sighting the Pacific Ocean in 1805 ( 2 centuries ago) . The quote "Ocean in view! O! The joy!" is from a journal entry of William Clark, one of the leaders of the expedition.
An artist's impression of the Lewis and clarke expedition. In the lead boat are the two leaders of the Expedition. Just behind the oarsman is Sacagewea tending to her infant son. This portrait has been taken from "An outline of American History" received by my father (Late) Dr. J.N. Prasad by the United States Information Service in December 1983. This book is presently in my personal library.

On conclusion of the expedition during which she rendered immense help to the exploring party, she settled in St. Louis Missouri in 1809 where she gave birth to a daughter in 1810. She is supposed to have passed away in 1812 according to a journal entry of a clerk at Fort Manuel Lisa at the age of 25 years. 

Some historians have placed her death in 1884 at a ripe old age of 96 years and, in fact, a tombstone on a grave is there in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, allegedly containing her mortal remains which bear testimony to this effect. 

Nevertheless, one is inclined to go with the journal entry of the clerk at Fort Manuel Lisa regarding the date of her death, because it stands to reason that after such an adventurous life till her twenties, she would not have preferred to go back to a mundane life and history does not record any other notable exploits on her part after her return from the Lewis – Clarke expedition.

Be that as it may, there is no doubt, that, she was a person who through her short adventurous life and exploits seemed to have been a woman of Independence and free will, far beyond the social taboos of her Age. 

Little wonder then, that, the National American Woman Suffrage Association has honoured her by recognizing her as a symbol of Women’s rights and Independence and honoured her with several statues and plaques in her memory and her accomplishments. She finds a mention in several novels and movies and is a familiar figure in American History.

Sacagawea among her other honours and memorials was awarded the title of Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army, posthumously, by the then US President, Bill Clinton. 


The US Mint in 2000 issued the Sacagawea dollar coin in her honour, showing Sacagawea and her infant son named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (also nicknamed Pompey). Since then, all Native American one dollar coins carry this image on the obverse. The motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" appears on the left periphery of this coin face.

 As no contemporary image of Sacagawea was available, the US Mint got a present day Shoshone- Bannock woman named Randy’L He-dow Teton to model for the coin design made by Glenda Goodacre.

The number of Sacagawea coins in circulation is over 1 billion with several million coins in reserve in the mint vaults due to lack of demand for one dollar coins. Accordingly, the minting of “circulating” Sacagawea dollar coins has been stopped and only Collectors’ coins are being issued by the US Mint.

  It may be interesting to know that the Sacagawea dollar also circulates in Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama where the US dollar is their official currency and is quite popular in these countries.

1)  The Three sisters farming/planting method theme – 2009:

The Native American $1 coin issued in 2009 has Agriculture as its main theme. 

 Agriculture has been an important part of Native American culture since the very beginning and from the times of the early European settlers in the “New World”, there has been mutual sharing and benefits of Agricultural ideas and efforts to better exploit the bounties of the land.

This is an ancient method of farming used by the Native Americans, where corn, squash and beans planted in the same plot yielded more productivity, sometimes by as much as 30 percent. In the symbiotic relationship between the three crops – the corn stalks provided support for the bean vines, which added Nitrogen to the soil, the Squash provided ground cover, which discouraged weeds, apart from the fact that they obtained crops from three food-groups viz. proteins, carbs and vitamins at one go - that is ancient wisdom at its best!

Crop rotation, round cropping, hybridization, seed development and irrigation methods were some of the Agricultural methods known to the early Native Americans which are practiced even today.


It is also a well known fact that the early colonialists benefitted immensely from the support and information on local Agricultural patterns, techniques and best practices provided by the Native Americans. 

Native American skills and practices in Agriculture, not only were instrumental in providing the means of survival for the early European settlers, but through trade/ sharing of expertise and exporting of Agricultural products native to America led to these food items getting popular all over Europe too.



The reverse shows a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash popularly known as the “three sisters Farming/planting” method and its importance in Native American culture is recognized on this coin.  On the top periphery of the coin is mentioned “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “$1” on the bottom periphery. 

The reverse has been designed and engraved by Norm Nemeth.

2)  The Great Law of Peace (Gyanashagowa) theme – 2010:

“Gyanashagowa” or the “Great Law of Peace” of the Iroquois (or “Haudenosaunee”) was an oral agreement or constitution  decided upon by 6 Nations –  Oneida, Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – whereby the entire Iroquois Confederacy (meaning “People of the Longhouse”) was bound together. This Law was written on wampum belts, conceived by Deganwidah – also called the “Great Peacemaker” and his Onondaga spokesman Hiawatha, who spent several years teaching the benefits of a great alliance to the tribes.

  Originally there were five Nations which ratified this constitution and later the Tuscarora joined the Confederacy. Each Nation was assigned a pre-decided role in the conduct of the Government.

This Confederacy and its Constitution were created sometime between 1090 and 1150 CE. The United Iroquois Nations are symbolized by an “Eastern Pine tree” which is popularly known as the “Tree of Peace”. A notable feature of the pine tree is that it’s five – needle clusters symbolize the original five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.

It is said that the democratic ideals of the “Gyanashagowa” was an inspiration to the Framers of the United States Constitution. Despite this background, there was a vital difference between the two constitutions – the Gyanashagowa was based on “Ruling by Consensus”, whereas the US Constitution was based on the “Rule of the Majority”.



The theme of this coin is “Government” and the “Great Law of Peace”.  The reverse shows a Hiawatha Wampum Belt and five arrows bound together representing unity with the inscription “Haudenosaunee”, which is a synonym for the Iroquois Confederacy. The Hiawatha belt is a visual record of the creation of the Haudenosaunee. The bundle of arrows symbolizes strength in unity for the Iroquois Confederacy.

A second inscription has been engraved on the lower periphery of the coin “Great Law of Peace” (which is an English translation for Gyanashagowa).

 The four links on the belt symbolize four Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ( Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca) while the “Eastern Pine tree” in the middle of the belt represents the Onondaga and depicts the “Tree of Peace”. The five primary nations which joined the Iroquois Confederacy are represented in these original symbols, while the Tuscarora which joined the Confederacy much later has not been represented in the symbolism. 

The symbolism of the Great Tree of Peace and Eagle sitting on its top were adopted as National icons during the American Revolution.

This concept has also been replicated in the design of the “Great Seal of the United States” where only the original 13 states have been depicted, although the number of States joining the American Federation had increased at the time the design of the Great seal was finalized. Also, the Eagle in the Great Seal holds 13 arrows in its left claw, symbolizing the strength in unity.

The reverse has been designed by Thomas Cleveland and engraved by Charles Vickers.

3)  Supreme Sachem Ousamequin, Massoit of the Great Wampanoag Nation Creates Alliance with settlers at Plymouth Bay (1621) theme – 2011:

Most Native American cultures valued the ability to make peace as highly as leadership in war. On several occasions, peace negotiations among Native Americans were led by a separate “peace chief”, whose role was activated after war had ended. For centuries, tribes created alliances with one another spread over vast territories.

This coin design commemorates one of the first treaties made for a mutual alliance with Puritan settlers at Plymouth and the Massasoit of the Pokanoket Wampanoag in 1621. This alliance ensured the survival of the Plymouth Colony and became the cornerstone in the history of the development of the United States of America.

Massasoit undertook to defend the Plymouth settlers against hostile tribes in return for their armed support in case his people were attacked. The Plymouth settlers honoured this arrangement shortly after the Peace Treaty when Massasoit was rescued from his enemies. 

In October 1621, Massasoit and his men celebrated a harvest feast at Plymouth for three days (a traditional English celebration), and this feast inspired the legend of the first Thanksgiving, as it was called two centuries later. 


This coin design shows the hands of the Supreme Sachem Ousamequin Massasoit and Governor John Carver, symbolically offering the ceremonial peace pipe after the initiation of the first formal written peace alliance between the Wampanoag tribe and the European settlers. The legend "WAMPANOAG TREATY" and "$1" appear on the lower periphery of the coin.

This coin has been designed by Richard Masters and the engraver is Joseph Menna.

This concept of peace has also been showcased/favoured in the design of the “Great Seal of the United States” where the Eagle has been shown as holding 13 arrows in its left claw and 13 olives in its right claw and is looking towards the right, indicating that the strong American Nation is united as one and favoured peace above all.

4)  Trade Routes in the 17th Century theme – 2012:
American Indians maintained widespread trans-continental, inter-tribal trade for several centuries. Their trade infrastructure became the means through which exploration, settlement and economic development took place. 

When early European traders travelled into the interiors of the Land, they followed trading routes in use by the American Indians, often taking them as guides. 

These routes were later established as trading corridors by the Europeans and contributed immensely in opening up the Continental interiors which led to the later development of the USA.

 It is interesting to know that when the Lewis –Clarke expedition (of which Sacagawea was a guide and interpreter as mentioned in detail above) was exploring unchartered territory, they followed several Native Indian Trade Routes.

Some of the trading routes centred on Zuni Pueblo in the Four Corners region of the South-West and the Mojave bead route to the California coast were linked to the Old Spanish Trail (now a historic National Park Service trail). The Old Snake Trade Route connected the pueblos of New Mexico north to the Mandan villages in the present day Dakotas, branching to the West in present-day Wyoming and reaching the Columbia River at the Dallas in Oregon etc.

The horses were the most sought after trading “commodity” in inter-tribal trade as they were the primary means of transport and ferrying of goods for trade.  There was business to be done by several European settlers setting up Ranches for rearing horses, some of which have survived to the present day.



This design features a Native American and a horse in profile, with horses running in the background, representing the historical spread of the horses in establishing trade links and settlement of colonies.

This coin design has been made by Thomas Cleveland and engraved by Phebe Hemphill.

Specifications of these Native American $1 coins:

 These coins have been minted at Denver mint (“D” mint mark) and Philadelphia (“P” mint mark). 

The overall composition of this coin is Copper 88.5%, Zinc 6%, Manganese 3.5%, and Nickel 2%;

(The inner core is 100% Pure Copper; the outer layers are Copper 77%, Nickel 7%, Zinc 12%, and Manganese 7%).

Weight is 8.10 gms; Diameter is 26.49mm or 1.04 inches; Thickness is 2.00 mm. Edge is lettered and the edge inscription on these coins is “E. Pluribus Unum” (One out of Many). The year of issue is also given on the edge of the coin along with the mint mark where the coins are minted.

The coins in my collection are uncirculated ones issued from Denver and Philadelphia mints.

Posted on 05.10.12:

5) Native American Coin Design 2013 - "The Treaty with the Delawares -1778"  Theme:


The United States Mint has given   the following narration/citation for the theme of the  Native American coin design for 2013:
“After declaring independence, the United States signed its first formal treaty with an Indian tribe, the Delaware, at Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh, Pa.) on September 17, 1778. The mutual defense treaty allowed American troops passage through the Delaware Tribe's land to attack the British fort at Detroit, Michigan. It recognized Delaware's sovereignty. It also offered a significant insight into the later process of incorporating tribes into the federal system. Article VI of the treaty gave the Delaware Nation the option of joining other tribes in the Ohio region to form a state with the Delaware at the head to become part of the U.S. confederation, with representation in Congress. Although the statehood option was never taken up, it foreshadowed the later acknowledgement of tribes as partners in the federal system”.


Posted on 18.06.13:
The detailed reference of the Treaty with the Delawares 1778 and its aftermath:
In 1778, during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress wary of the British cordial relations with the Delaware Indians located in Ohio Country sought to negotiate a beneficial Treaty with the Indians seeking their support, because they were perceived as the friendliest towards the white Americans. 


 The Treaty also known as the “Treaty of Fort Pitt” or the “Fourth Treaty of Pittsburgh” was signed on 17.09.1778, under which the Americans in revolt and the “Lenape” or the Delawares agreed to assist each other against the British. 


The terms of the Treaty:


Americans could travel through Delaware territory. The Delawares were required to give unconditional assistance to the Americans in their war against the British, including Delawares fighters and become American allies in the War. The Americans also agreed to set up a Fort (called Fort Laurens after the President of the Continental Congress) on Delaware Indian’s land to protect the Delawares “especially old men, women and children” from British attack. (This Fort was completed by December 1778). In return, the Americans would provide “articles of clothing, utensils and implements of war”.


The Treaty also recognised the Delawares as a Sovereign Nation and guaranteed their territorial rights even encouraging the Native Indians to form a state headed by the Delawares with representation in Congress. (This proposal was subsequently dropped by the Americans as it was never meant to be implemented ab initio by the American side). 


This was the first written or documented Treaty between the USA and American Indians.


Some historians regard the Treaty with the Delawares as “wilful dishonesty and deceit” on the Delawares people, and rightly so, as the Delawares regarded this Treaty as merely a “free passage” of revolutionary American armies and Fort Laurens being merely a protection for the white settlers with no gainful benefits coming to them.


Despite the Treaty, in March 1782, Pennsylvania militiamen killed about 100 defenceless Delawares at Gnadenhutten (known as the Gnadenhutten massacre) supposedly after receiving incorrect intel that the Delawares were responsible for attacking whites in Pennsylvania, but more for expanding their settlements in Delawares Territories.

  After this terrible incident, the Delawares reverted to siding with the British who had given them more honourable terms, than the “deceitful” American Army Brass. 


The above coin received by me from the US Mint with  the Uncirculated coins set yesterday has one coin each from the Denver Mint ("D" Mint Mark) and Philadelphia Mint ("P" Mint Mark). It reverse of this coin features a turkey, a howling wolf and a turtle which represents the clans of the Delawares Tribe. There is a ring of 13 stars around the design which represents the 13 original colonies of the U.S. This coin design also has the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", "$1" and "Treaty with the Delawares 1778". The design has been made by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. 

 Posted on 05.11.2013: 



 The theme of the 2014 Native American coin is "Native Hospitality Ensured the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition". The above design has been made by Chris Costello and engraved by Joseph Menna. The design depicts a Native American offering a pipe while standing behind his wife as she offers provisions of fish, corn, roots and gourds. In the background, is shown a stylised image of the face of Captain William Clark's compass, highlighting the north-west quadrant of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The inscriptions on this face of the coin are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and $1.

Posted on 26.03.2015:

The theme of the 2015 Native American Coin is commemorating the contributions of the Kahnawake Mohawk and Mohawk Akwesasne communities to "high iron" construction work and building of New York City skyscrapers. 

Posted on 15.02.2016:


The 2016 Native American dollar design honours the contributions of the Code Talkers to the United States war efforts during World Wars I and II.

The Obverse of the 2016 Native American $1 coin (designed by Glenda Goodacre) shows Sacagawea with her sleeping child and the inscriptions “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST”. 
 The Reverse of the 2016 Native American $1 coin includes soldier’s helmets from both World War I and II, placed over feathers positioned to form a “V” for victory. Inscribed in the field is “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “$1”, “WWI”, “WWII” and CODE TALKERS”.

“Code Talkers” were Native Americans who used tribal languages to transmit secret communications for the US military from 1917 to 1945. Navajo Code talkers received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2001, and Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 established a plan to recognise 33 other tribes who served in this capacity as well.

Dollar coins are no longer produced by the US Mint for general circulation, but the Mint continues to strike them for coin collectors.

This design has been created by Thomas D.Rogers Sr., whose initials “TDR” appear below the World War I helmet.



Posted on 13.12.16:  

                   The 2017 Native American Coin Design
The theme for the 2017 Native American 1 Dollar coin depicts Sequoyah writing “Sequoyah from Cherokee Nation” in syllabary along the border of the design. This design has been made by “Chris Costello” and sculpted/engraved by Charles L. Vickers. The inscriptions on this face will be “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “$1” and “Sequoyah” written in the field of the design.

Chief Sequoyah, of the Cherokee, was a half-Cherokee silversmith (“ᏍᏏᏉᏯ Ssiquoya”, as he signed his name, or “ᏎᏉᏯ Se-quo-ya”, as his name is often spelled today in Cherokee) (c. 1770–1843), who was named George Gist or George Guess in English.

He invented a simple form of writing consisting of 86 symbols. He is also the namesake of Sequoia redwood trees.

The Cherokee syllabary was invented by him was developed between 1809 and 1824. At first Sequoyah experimented with a writing system based on logograms, but found this cumbersome and unsuitable for Cherokee.

 Posted on 02.02.2018:
The theme for the 2018 Native American coin is Jim Thorpe - the sports legend. The coin is inscribed "Wa-Tho-Huk" (meaning "Bright Path"). James Francis Thorpe or Jim Thorpe (1887-28.03.1953) was an  American athlete and Olympic Gold Medallist. A member of the "Sac and Fox Nation" he became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the USA. He was considered to be one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports and he won Olympic Gold medals in the 1912 penthalon and decathlon and also played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball and basketball.

 Dollar coins are now not being put into circulation and are being minted  essentially as Commemorative coins for Numismatists.

 Posted on 15.12.2018:

 The design of the 2019 Native American $1 Coin has been revealed by the US Mint in the 2018 winter issue of the National Museum of the American Indian's eponymous quarterly magazine. The 2019 coin design celebrates American Indians in the Space Programme.

The Reverse design depicts renowned engineer Mary Golda Ross writing calculations. Behind her, an Atlas-Agena rocket launches into space, with an equation inscribed in its cloud.

 An astronaut, symbolic of Native American astronauts, including John Herrington, space-walks above. In the field behind, a group of stars indicates outer space. 

 Posted on 20.10.2019:
The Reverse of the 2020 Native American $1 Coin shown against the background image of Alaskan State Legislature

 The theme of the 2020 Native American $1 Coin design is Elizabeth Peratrovich and Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Law. 
The Reverse  of the 2020 Native American $1 Coin features a portrait of Elizabeth Peratrovich, whose advocacy was considered a deciding factor in the passage of the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Law in the Alaskan State Legislature.

 The foreground features a  symbol of the Tlingit Raven moiety, of which she was a member. The inscriptions include - "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", "ELIZABETH PERATROVICH", (on the upper periphery), "$1" (in the coin's centre right) and "ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW OF 1945" (on the lower periphery).

 The coin is a lasting tribute to Elizabeth Peratrovich and her relentless efforts to tear down the wall of discrimination against Alaskan Native Americans.

 The Obverse of the 2020 Native American Coin is identical to the other coin issues in this Coin series and shows the Central figure of Sacagawea carrying her infant son. The inscriptions on this face are - "LIBERTY, "IN GOD WE TRUST", the year "2020-", mint mark (as applicable) and "E.PLURIBUS UNUM" are incused on the edge.
2021 NATIVE AMERICAN DOLLAR:

The theme for the 2021 coin is Native Americans in the U.S. Military. Its Reverse design depicts Eagle feathers, which were traditionally earned in battle or by performing a brave deed. 


Eagle feathers are revered, worthy of the utmost care and handling, and are to be displayed proudly in homes. 

Stars representing five branches of the U.S. Military are in the foreground, while a circle represents additional significance to Native Americans. 

Inscriptions are "NATIVE AMERICANS – DISTINGUISHED MILITARY SERVICE SINCE 1775", $1, and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA".

2022 Native American Themed Dollar Coin commemorates Ely S. Parker, a US Army officer, engineer and tribal diplomat:

The United States Mint decided on the design for the Reverse of Native American $1 Coin. 

The 2022 Native American $1 Coin will commemorate Ely S. Parker, a U.S. Army officer, engineer, and tribal diplomat, who served as military secretary to Ulysses S. Grant during the U.S. Civil War. 

When Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, Parker rendered the formal surrender documents in his own hand.

Designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Paul C. Balan and sculpted by United States Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna, the reverse (tails) design features Parker, depicted in Army uniform, with a quill pen and book, along with a likeness of his graceful signature, as symbols of his experience as an expert communicator. 

The inscriptions “TONAWANDA SENECA” and “HA-SA-NO-AN-DA” recognize his tribe and the name given to him at birth. Additional inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “$1.”

The Obverse (heads) of the 2022 Native American $1 Coin will continue to feature the central figure “Sacagawea” carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste, by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge of the coin.
 










Links: 

1) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2010

2) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2011
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