John Two Guns White Calf

John Two Guns White Calf (also known as John Two Guns and John Whitecalf Two Guns[1]) (1872–1934[2][3]) was a chief of the Piegan Blackfeet in Montana. He was born near Fort Benton, Montana, and was the adopted son of Chief White Calf.[1] After the elder White Calf died in 1903, while a guest of President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., White Calf became the last chief of the Blackfoot Tribe.[2] He died from the flu at Blackfeet Indian hospital, according to the Choteau Acantha, however the Indian agency reported it was pulmonary tuberculosis that took his life at age 63.[4][1] John Two Guns White Calf is buried in a Catholic cemetery in Browning, Montana.[2][1]

Promotional career

He became famous for his work promoting the Glacier National Park for the Great Northern Railway, as a way to encourage tourism and traffic on railways.[1][2][5]: 222  In 1912, he traveled with several other Blackfeet to the 1912 United States Land Show in Chicago, which was possibly the first publicity trip for the tribe.[6] He also claimed to be the model for the profile on the Indian head nickel. The sculptor, James Earle Fraser, said that the image he used was a composite of several people.[1]: 141 [7] Three of these speculated individuals were native chiefs of the Seneca, Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux, named Chief John Big Tree, Two Moons, and Iron Tail.[8][9] It is stated that one of the possible reasons for the disapproval of John Two Guns status on the nickel, is due to the U.S. government's fear surrounding his influence on the various tribes, possibly having the ability to inspire rebellion and reclamation of land.[8] John Two Guns White Calf also headed a secret group that went by the name "Mad Dog Society," which had the overall goal of sustaining Blackfoot heritage.[9]

Washington Redskins

In 1971, Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, a Blackfeet tribal council member, created the Washington Redskins logo.[10][11][12] He used Two Guns White Calf's image as the basis for the logo which was widely seen on a variety of merchandise and football gear. Due to public outcry at the derogatory nature of the word "Redskin," the logo was removed.[13] These protests caused the team to change the logo in 2020.[14][11] The team officially changed their name to The Washington Commanders in 2022.[15] Although, some people believe that a part of history has been removed, along with the legacy and name "John Two Guns White Calf."[16][17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bates, Erica Margaret (1999). The Encyclopedia of Native American Economic History. Greenwood Press. p. 141. ISBN 9780313306235.
  2. ^ a b c d Estes, Roberta (May 21, 2012). "John Two Guns White Calf". Native Heritage Project. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Battle for the Blackfeet". Flathead Beacon. October 23, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Estes, Roberta (May 21, 2012). "John Two Guns White Calf". Native Heritage Project. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Andrew R. Graybill (2013), The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West, W. W. Norton & Company, ISBN 9780871404459
  6. ^ Beck, David R. M.; LaPier, Rosalyn R. (May 2015). City Indian: Native American Activism in Chicago, 1893-1934. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803278486.
  7. ^ VanRyzin, Robert R. (October 2009). Fascinating Facts, Mysteries and Myths About U.S. Coins. F+W Media. ISBN 978-1440225376.
  8. ^ a b Estes, Roberta (May 21, 2012). "John Two Guns White Calf". Native Heritage Project. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Portrait of Chief Two Guns White Calf | Kansas City Public Library". kclibrary.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  10. ^ Connell, Ryan. "The man behind the logo: The story of Walter "Blackie" Wetzel". ABC FOX Montana. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  11. ^ a b BLASCO 406mtsports.com, JASON. "Washington Redskins logo has deep connection to Blackfeet reservation, Wetzel family". 406 MT SPORTS. Retrieved March 8, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Ross, Kelley L. (2024). "Sports Teams and Identity Ownership". Political Economy. As it happens, the Washington Redskin logo was based on an image of Blackfoot Chief John Two Guns White Calf (1872–1934). The complaint, of course, is that 'retiring' the logo and its identity means erasing John White Calf from history. And his image was not picked at random to be a token Indian. John White Calf was a public personality and a friend of Calvin Coolidge, who frequently vacationed in South Dakota and knew the West.
  13. ^ Bowman, Emma (February 6, 2022). "For many Native Americans, the Washington Commanders' new name offers some closure". NPR. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  14. ^ "Native American son of Redskins logo designer says it's not offensive, calls the change 'hard'". wusa9.com. July 13, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Bowman, Emma (February 6, 2022). "For many Native Americans, the Washington Commanders' new name offers some closure". NPR News.
  16. ^ "Native American son of Redskins logo designer says it's not offensive, calls the change 'hard'". wusa9.com. July 13, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  17. ^ Poff, Jeremiah (September 20, 2024). "The NFL won't acknowledge it erased a Native American - Washington Examiner". Retrieved April 12, 2025.
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