BLACKFEET NATION · BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY · GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
His Face on the Nickel.
His Image on the Helmet.
His Family Paid Nothing.
Chief John "Two Guns" White Calf — Head Chief of the Blackfeet Nation, the face of the Buffalo Nickel, and the man whose likeness the Washington Redskins used as their logo for over 50 years — without a single dollar paid to his descendants.
THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH
Chief John "Two Guns" White Calf
John "Two Guns" White Calf was the Head Chief of the Blackfeet Nation — a man of towering stature, known across the continent. He visited New York City and met political leaders. He led Blackfeet delegations. He appeared in national newspapers dozens of times.
His face is said to be the model for the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel — the 5-cent piece carried in millions of American pockets for generations. News articles from the era confirm it: "Many nickels have been spent without folk realizing it is the likeness of the man in the canoe found on the head side."
He died in 1934. Three and a half decades later, his image was taken, re-purposed, and placed on the helmet of an NFL football franchise — without the knowledge, consent, or compensation of a single family member.
THE MAN BEHIND THE HISTORY
A Chief Who Walked in Two Worlds
Chief Two Guns White Calf (bottom row, second from the left, wearing a large silver breastplate) stands with a Blackfeet delegation during a ceremony in which a dignitary is formally honored with a headdress — a sacred act signifying deep respect. The delegation traveled regularly to advocate for treaty rights, religious freedom, and tribal sovereignty. Circa 1920s. Photographer unknown.
He was not merely a symbol. He was a diplomat, a protector, a husband, a storyteller. These are the things history books left out.
THE COMMODORE HOTEL · 1921
He brought his delegation to New York City and pitched a teepee on the roof of the Commodore Hotel — a headline-making act of cultural pride in the heart of Manhattan. He met with Mayor John Hylan and was treated as a head of state.
A DEVOTED HUSBAND
Once, during an official reception held in his honor, Chief Two Guns slipped away and returned to his wife's side — she had taken ill, and no ceremony was more important than her. "He skipped the reception to care for her," one account noted.
THE MAD DOG SOCIETY
When the U.S. government banned traditional Blackfeet ceremonies including the sacred Sun Dance, he led a secret organization — the Mad Dog Society — to preserve Blackfeet heritage in defiance of federal suppression. Cultural memory survived because of men like him.
HIS WIFE'S WIT
In a 1913 newspaper interview, his wife — described by reporters as "vivacious and loquacious" — charmed New York with her observations of the city's women: "Heap nice to look at," she said, drawing laughs and headlines alike.
THE LAST CHIEF
John Two Guns was the twin son born to Chief White Calf. When his father died in 1903 while advocating for tribal claims in Washington D.C., John Two Guns stepped forward — and carried that weight for the rest of his life. He would die in 1934, still fighting.
WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW
The Scandal in Full
THE SAME FACE — TWO VERY DIFFERENT STORIES
THE BUFFALO NICKEL · 1913
His likeness on U.S. currency — recognized nationally. Compensation to the family: $0.
THE MAN HIMSELF
Chief Two Guns White Calf
HEAD CHIEF · BLACKFEET NATION
THE REDSKINS LOGO · 1970–PRESENT
His likeness on an NFL franchise — generating billions. Compensation to the family: $0.
Walter Wetzel Had NO Authority
Walter "Blackie" Wetzel — the man credited with giving the Washington Redskins the logo — never had authorization from the Estate of Two Guns White Calf to offer the image of their deceased grandfather for use in a commercial sport franchise. Per the legal filing: "Walter Wetzel simply never had authority to do this." The theft began not with the NFL, but with a man who gave away something that was never his to give.
$0 Paid to the Family — For 50 Years
From 1970 to 2025 — a span of over half a century — the Washington Redskins and the NFL financially benefited from the use of the image, iconography, reputation and likeness of Chief Two Guns White Calf. The Estate was never acknowledged. No royalties. No licensing fees. No consultation. Not a single dollar in 50+ years, while the franchise generated billions.
November 2024: The Commanders Un-Cancelled the Logo — For Profit
"On November 24, 2024, the Commanders team announced they were un-cancelling the logo for one reason: to make more money off the pilfered image of our ancestor." The team had previously retired the Redskins name under public pressure — then quietly revived the logo. The Estate was not consulted. The word used by the plaintiff is deliberate: pilfered. Stolen.
The Federal Government Backed "White Privilege" for 90+ Years
The legal filing states plainly that the Department of the Interior "backed the white privilege of the Redskins owners several times over" — from George Preston Marshall in 1932 through Dan Snyder and now Josh Harris. "Nowhere in this historic timeline that begins in 1932 is there a record that the federal agency ever made even a scant effort to consult with the estate."
Federal Law Violated — For 50 Years on Federal Land
For the entire time the Redskins used the logo, it was displayed on federal property (RFK Stadium was owned and operated by the Department of the Interior). Federal law — the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 — mandates tribal consultation before such use. The Interior failed to perform a single consultation with the estate over 50 years. That is not an oversight. That is a pattern.
$1.4 Billion Stadium Redevelopment — Estate Gets Nothing
The Washington Commanders propose to redevelop the RFK Stadium site into a $1.4 billion-per-year economic engine for the city of DC. The estate filed: "the estate and to a broader degree — the tribe will receive nothing. This hardly seems fair." The federal government signed off on the land transfer without conducting the legally required tribal consultation under NHPA.
A Racial Slur Was Placed Alongside His Grandfather's Face
For decades, the image of Chief Two Guns White Calf was commercially branded alongside the word "Redskins" — a term the plaintiffs describe as intended to be derogatory in modern vernacular. The estate argues this constitutes "disparagement actions" under the right of publicity doctrine. Their ancestor's dignity was not only taken — it was weaponized as a racial slur for commercial gain.
The Catholic Church Plundered the Family's Wealth
The legal filing documents that the Interior "allowed the family wealth to be plundered by the Catholic Church" while the agency failed in its trust obligations. This theft of generational wealth — combined with 50 years of commercial exploitation without compensation — left the heirs of one of America's most iconic Native American leaders in poverty.
The actions of the Interior agency reflect gross negligence toward the Estate of John Two Guns White Calf over a 50 year period. The agency has an obligation to reverse a long campaign of erasure of the descendants of this venerated Indian Chief.
— MOTION FOR JOINDER, BLACKFEET TRIBAL COURT, 2025
BLACKFEET TRIBAL COURT · CASE NO. 2024CA-139
The Estate Fights Back
The Parties
Lead Plaintiff: Kenneth Conway Jr. on behalf of the entire Estate of John "Two Guns" White Calf
Defendants: The Washington Commanders (formerly Washington Redskins), former owner Dan Snyder, Managing Partner Josh Harris, the National Football League, the Estate of Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, Blackfeet Council members Rodney Gervais Jr. and others
Third Party: U.S. Department of the Interior (sought as a necessary party for failing its trust obligations)
What the Estate is Demanding
- →15% royalty on all revenue — backdated to 1970 — from the team and the NFL
- →A court-ordered logo redesign by Two Guns White Calf family artists
- →A team name change with an enforceable ongoing royalty arrangement
- →Mandatory inclusion in the $1.4B RFK Stadium redevelopment project
- →Enforcement of "Two Guns White Calf Consulting" as the required federal consultant
- →Payment of all estate legal costs split between the Blackfeet Tribe, Interior, NFL and Commanders
- →Court monitoring of the NFL, team, tribe and agency every six months through 2030
- →A formal Finding of Fact affirming the estate's verified Blackfeet ancestry
KEY DATES
THIS CASE IS A CONTINUING TORTIOUS WRONG
The estate argues under FRCP 15 "Relation Back" that the current 2024 revival of the logo by the Commanders relates back to the original violations beginning in 1970. Every day the logo is displayed, the harm continues. Every dollar the franchise earns using the pilfered image is unjust enrichment at the direct expense of the Two Guns White Calf family.
"The Plaintiffs have never been acknowledged in the 50 years the NFL and team in partnership financially benefited from the use of the image, iconography, reputation and likeness of the decedent."
— ESTATE OF JOHN TWO GUNS WHITE CALF, LEGAL FILING 2025
JUSTICE DOESN'T COME FREE
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Chief Two Guns White Calf
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THE FIGHT CONTINUES
Stand With the Estate of
Chief Two Guns White Calf
This family has waited long enough. For more than 90 years their grandfather's image has been on the nickel in every American pocket — and for over 50 of those years, on the helmet of an NFL franchise. It is time for justice.
Kenneth Conway Jr., Lead Plaintiff
Blackfeet Tribal Court · Case No. 2024CA-139 · Filed December 2025