On July 3, 2020, the NFL’s Washington Redskins announced that the team was going to change its name and the logo that had the image of the chief of Blackfeet tribal ancestry, John “Two Guns” White Calf, after 48-long years.
The decision, though, emerged amidst the Black Lives Matter movement; the matter had been the subject of discussion for decades, as people were concerned that the logo was offensive towards the Native Americans.
Now, more than four years later, the family of Blackfeet Chief has finally requested that the image that honored their ancestor be reinstated. This request came after the Washington Football fans put pressure on the team to return its original name and logo.
🚨BREAKING🚨 The family of a Blackfeet chief, who served as the face of the Washington Redskins for 48 years, WANT THE TEAM TO CHANGE THIER NAME BACK.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 15, 2024
👀👀👀
“The fans want him back and we want him back,” family told Fox.
90% of Native Americans supported the Redskins name. pic.twitter.com/ZGIbfF4BXD
Talking to Fox News, Thomas White Calf, the great-nephew of the Blackfeet Chief John “Two Guns” Whitecalf, said,
The fans want him back, and we want him back. Our ancestor was the most famous and most photographed native in history. Two Guns was also the face on the Indian head nickel. I’m proud of him. The Blackfeet are proud of him.
Thomas further revealed that the team didn’t consult with the Blackfeet family before officially removing the logo and that they never supported the team’s decision.
The issue of whether or not to reinstate the image of the Blackfeet Chief as Redskins’ icon has now reached a higher level. United States senator from Montana Steve Daines has now taken a stand in the matter, writing,
This is about righting a wrong. “It’s a point of pride and represents the rich Native American history that helped make our nation great, and it should be enthusiastically celebrated across our culture.
Further, there’s a report that Senator Steve has suggested the Blackfeet family and their representative cooperate with the designer of RedSkin’s original logo, Walter ‘Blackie’ Wetzel’s grandson, Ryan Wetzel, so that they can honor the legacy of the tribe.
In this regard, Steve even stated,
The legendary Blackfeet logo that was championed by Blackie Wetzel and based on the likeness of Chief Two Guns White Calf must be restored to a place of honor,”
Well, meanwhile, everything appears to be in progress, and further decisions on the Blackfeet family Chief’s request have yet to be made.
The Face Of Washington Redskins Of 48 Years, John White Calf, Was An Advocate of Native American Culture!
According to the Fox News report, John ‘Two Gun‘ White Calf advocated for the preservation and protection of native American culture in the early 20th century, which led him to garner wide recognition worldwide.
The 1872-born Montana native further gained prominence after he became the face for the Indian head nickel and the NFL’s Washington Redskins. So, when he passed away in 1934, the New York Times honored him, publishing an obituary.
Yeah redskins name and logo was hard they bummed it with that commanders nonsense lmaooo https://t.co/qu4ul7urus
— . (@A_Geechi) September 17, 2024
Later, other tribe members continued his legacy, directly or indirectly advocating for the Blackfeet nation. One advocate was Earl Old Person, the first elected member of the Blackfeet tribal Business council.
According to The New York Times, he always advocated for the well-being of the Blackfeet community by reaching out to government officials and urging them to budget for Blackfeet-owned businesses.
It seems like the tribal group still sticks with their traditional values and wants to honor their ancestor. And asking to reinstate the White Claf image as Redskins’ icon is another attempt for the same cause.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Blackfeet Chief’s image was developed in 1971 and was later endorsed on the Redskins helmet.
- The image was designed by Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, the father of Helena High assistant basketball coach Lance Wetzel.
