Family of Blackfeet chief who inspired Redskins logo wants it back

( NewsNation ) — Relatives of the man John Two Guns White Calf, whose profile served as the face of the Washington, D.C., professional football team for 48 years, wants his likeness returned to the franchise.

Thomas White Calf, a great nephew of the late Blackfeet Nation chief, told Fox News, “The fans want him back and we want him back.”

The team changed its name in 2020 following complaints over the term “Redskins,” which has historically been used as a slur against indigenous peoples in North America.

“Our ancestor was the most famous and most photographed native in history,” Thomas said in the interview. “Two Guns was also the face on the Indian head nickel. I’m proud of him. The Blackfeet are proud of him.”

It’s important to note that other descendants of Two Guns have not openly supported this idea, with Blackfeet Nation Councilman Everett Armstrong telling the Associated Press his family has been primarly left out of the conversation.

They were not consulted in the 1970s about the use of his image and have never been asked about it since, said Armstrong, a descendant of White Calf himself.

“They’d like a seat at the table,” he said in July.

The original logo was designed by a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana in the early ’70s, causing some to take pride in not only the depiction but the man who helped design it — Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a former Blackfeet Nation tribal chairman and former president of the National Congress of the American Indian, the country’s oldest Native American and Alaska Native advocacy organization.

Thomas’ comments come after a meeting with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., according to Fox. In July, Daines blocked funding for an improved stadium for the team — unless the logo is honored in some form.

Thomas and Daines aren’t alone in their call. In 2023, the Native American Guardians Association created an online petition advocating for a return to the name and logo as a way to honor “the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture.”

For many others, the name is a painful reminder of racism, oppression and colonization, with the recent change coming as a small victory for modern-day representation.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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