Cheyenne River Indian Reservation

Birds and Small Game Stamps

The Cheyenne River Reservation is located in northwest South Dakota. It is bordered by the Standing Rock Reservation to the north and the Missouri River to the east. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) always had separate stamps printed for (tribal) members and non-members. The tribe's stamps were always printed without year dates or face values as they were intended to be used year after year until supplies were exhausted. All stamps were printed with a line to fill in the hunter's tribal license number.

The earliest recorded usage for a CRST stamp is from 1984. It is possible that the first year of issue is prior to 1984. The same type of birds and small game stamps which have been recorded used in 1984 have been recorded used as late as 1991. These early stamps were non-pictorial and were issued in booklet panes of six (3x2) with a tab at the left. The panes were plain rouletted 9 3/4 between the stamps and between the stamps and the tabs. They have dry gum.

By 1989, new semi-pictorial birds and small game stamps had been printed and were being used concurrently with the non-pictorial stamps. The first printing of the semi-pictorial stamps was on self- adhesive chrome-coated (gloss) paper with a peelable backing material that was cut flush with the stamps. The semi-pictorial stamps were issued in booklet panes of five (5x1) with a tab at the left. The panes were perforated 11 3/4 between the stamps and between the stamps and the tabs. Six panes were stapled between covers to form a booklet. Tribal license agents found it inconvenient to work with stamps from the first printing for two reasons. First, they found it difficult to remove the flush backing paper from perforated stamps. Second, after the license number was written on the coated paper with a ball-point pen it often smeared and became illegible. Subsequent printings were on matte paper with dry gum.

Not only do licenses frequently turn up bearing stamps from both printings (on coated and matte papers), but also with mixed member and non-member stamps affixed as well. The explanation for this occurrence is simple: If the tribal license agent temporarily ran out of stamps that were printed for one classification of hunters, they often substituted those printed for the other classification in their place. Sometimes the face of the substituted stamps was altered to indicate the change — crossing out the "non" in "non-member" for example. 

The last CRST stamps for birds and small game were printed in 1997. They were for non-members and were rouletted.