Nobody ever asked us for our opinion. Nobody ever asked what we thought.
Thomas White Calf stood on the edge of a valley overlooking Saint Mary Lake in northwest Montana, speaking about Chief John Two Guns White Calf—the man whose face became synonymous with the Washington Redskins from 1972 until 2020.
“The team’s new stadium [slated to open in 2030] needs to honor John Two Guns White Calf in the right way, because he was their image, their logo,” Thomas White Calf said.
Jason Kelce, NFL Network broadcaster, recently drew criticism for calling the Washington franchise the “Redskins.” The Blackfeet family asserts that Kelce’s comment echoed their longstanding perspective.
The White Calf family has called on the NFL and the franchise to reclaim the Redskins name, the native legacy of “braves on the warpath,” and the proud portrait logo of Chief Two Guns White Calf. They argue that during a seven-year campaign by the National Congress of American Indians, mainstream media outlets erased their ancestor’s historical significance.
“The history is finally getting out there,” Thomas White Calf added. “This is where it all started from. The face of the Washington Redskins. The face of the Indian Head nickel.”
Chief Two Guns White Calf was an American hero who fought to preserve Native heritage and force the U.S. government to honor tribal treaties. He forged a bond with President Calvin Coolidge, who became a member of Blackfeet Nation while Two Guns was chief.
The family has faced years of silence from mainstream media despite their deep historical connection to the team’s identity. This is the first-ever media interview about the issue in the Blackfeet Nation homeland of “the most photographed native in history,” as Thomas White Calf described his ancestor.
