chief john two guns white calf
Chief John Two Guns White Calf was the son of Chief White Calf of the Piegan Blackfeet Tribe in Montana. Following in his father’s footsteps, John Two Guns traveled to Washington, D.C., where both men met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to advocate for their people. They sought to protect the tribe’s lands from increasing pressure by non-Native interests seeking to lease or acquire Blackfeet territory for cattle grazing.
In fact, John Two Guns White Calf’s father, Chief White Calf, died in 1903 while traveling to Washington, D.C., to continue these advocacy efforts. Shortly after his arrival, he fell ill and died of pneumonia, likely a complication of influenza, just ten days into the trip. His death, and the circumstances surrounding it, had a profound impact. It is widely believed that this event influenced the Commissioner of Indian Affairs at the time to allow the Blackfeet Tribe to retain approximately one million acres of their Montana land, where they maintained a herd of around 16,000 cattle.
This 1903 New York Times article reported on the death of Chief White Calf, a leader of the Blackfeet Tribe, who died of pneumonia shortly after arriving in Washington, D.C. He had traveled there with other tribal representatives to oppose a proposal by the U.S. Indian Office to lease Blackfeet lands to cattle interests. Unaccustomed to the damp winter climate and dressed as he would be in his native environment, he became seriously ill and died within ten days at Providence Hospital.
Chief White Calf was a seasoned and resilient leader who had long resisted encroachment on his people’s lands, noting the many scars on his body from past conflicts. His death influenced federal officials, who allowed the Blackfeet tribe to retain approximately one million acres of their Montana land, which they actively used for their own cattle operations.
Father of CHIEF JOHN TWO GUNS DIES AFTER ADVOCATING FOR HIS TRIBE at capitol hill
Chief john two guns white calf on the buffalo nickel
Chief John Two Guns White Calf is widely believed to have been one of the Native American figures whose likeness contributed to the composite portrait used on the Buffalo nickel, designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser.
Chief john two guns white calf ON THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS LOGO
Chief John Two Guns White Calf’s likeness was used as the logo of Washington’s NFL team for nearly 50 years, until both the logo and the “Redskins” name were retired under former owner Dan Snyder. During the public debate surrounding the team’s name and imagery, members of the White Calf family were not included in the broader conversation.
In the early 1970s, Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, then chairman of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, helped facilitate the team’s adoption of a Native-inspired logo. According to accounts, Wetzel presented several images of Blackfeet individuals for consideration, from which the team selected the likeness of Chief John Two Guns White Calf. While some have claimed that Wetzel himself designed the logo, there is no clear evidence to support that assertion. Comparisons suggest the final design may instead have drawn inspiration from the composite portrait featured on the Buffalo nickel.
