The feature stamps on this hand drawn and individually hand painted . . . with oils . . . all-over FDC by the supremely gifted artist, Art Kober, are three of the PO's 1994 Legends of the West stamps : Native American Culture / Chief Joseph / Geronimo stamps, Scott #s 2869 E, F, and M, respectively.

About the inspiration for the feature stamps : in 1994, the PO issued a 20-stamp sheet that was like no other, ever before, released by the post office. All 20 stamps . . . designed by illustrator/artist, Mark Hess . . . cast the philatelic spotlight on the names and the settings that had the most profound influence in the development of the Old Wild West. These three stamps are from that very esteemed set of 20. 

About the actual stamps, themselves : with all that it mind, let's now take a look at the 3 stamps featured on this compelling FDC :      

1. Scott # 2869 E :  Native American Culture . . . showcases a Native American in the middle of a ceremonial dance, while clutching his bow and arrows 
2. Scott # 2869 F :  Chief Joseph . . . please see INTERESTING TIDBIT below  
3. Scott # 2869 M:  Geronimo . . . showcases the Apache war chief, looking defiant, as he guards his homeland against “the White Man”  

About the individually hand drawn and hand painted cachet on this all-over gem of a cover, Mr. Kober checks out a Native American village, out on the open plains, as a head-dressed chief converses with a squaw who is holding her child. And while yet another squaw tends to her child's needs on the ground, a village herding dog is checking out his surroundings, as he searchingly moves forward on the parched grounds of his native land . . . and all this with an absolutely gorgeous sense of color contrasting, as the earth's golden land is so well offset by the Heavenly-blue sky. (For the time being, all seems peaceful.) 

About the cancellation : and for this one, Mr. Kober obtained a superbly positioned, individually hand stamped cancel from the Wild West frontier town of Laramie, Wyoming

About the Scarcity Factor : please note that only 27 of these rarely-seen FDCs were made, and that it is . . . by far . . . one of the more difficult Kober covers to track down.  

All in all, a true masterpiece of an FDC, by a most accomplished artist. 

INTERESTING  TIDBIT  : Chief Joseph's life was a classic example of how the U.S. government lied to and “screwed over” the Native American tribes of the Wild Frontier. Chief Joseph was the leader of an Oregon tribe known as the Nez Perce (pronounced Nay Purr-Say). In 1873, he negotiated conditions with the American government which would allow his people to stay on their sacred lands, but just 4 years later, in 1877, the government decided to dishonor its treaty, and told Chief Joseph that his people would have to move elsewhere. The result was a bloody revolt by the Nez Perce.

Ultimately, though, Chief Joseph felt it was in the best interest of his people to seek asylum from the U.S. government by fleeing to Canada, but along the several hundred mile trek, his tribe had to fight against the soldiers who were in hot pursuit of them. So valiant and skilled as fighters were the Nez Perce that they received many write-ups in American newspapers and, believe it or not, acquired somewhat of a “fan Club” among the reading public.

In the long-run, though, Chief Joseph, running low on food and other life-sustaining supplies, had no choice but to surrender to his pursuers. He tried to justify the surrender in a speech to his tribe in which he said, in part, “I am tired of fighting. I want to have time to look for my children. Maybe I shall find them dead. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now shines, I will fight no more . . . forever.” 

Years later, when Chief Joseph died in 1904, his doctor claimed that he had died “from a broken heart.”