Blackfeet history · Family-led advocacy

Honor the man. Preserve the legacy.

Chief John Two Guns White Calf was a Blackfeet leader, diplomat and cultural figure whose image became known across America. His descendants are working to protect his story, restore the erased history of his daughter Rosa White Calf-Sharp, assert the Estate’s rights and bring the family’s voice to Washington, D.C.

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Chief Two Guns White Calf, historic photograph

Chief Two Guns White Calf, historic photograph

Blackfeet leaderRemembered for diplomacy, cultural stewardship and public advocacy
1913The Buffalo nickel entered circulation
2024CA-139Estate matter in Blackfeet Tribal Court

The man behind the image

More than a symbol

The familiar portrait is only one part of the story. Chief Two Guns White Calf represented his people in public life, traveled with Blackfeet delegations and helped carry cultural memory through a period of extraordinary pressure.

Archival profile portrait of Chief Two Guns White Calf

Leadership rooted in responsibility

John Two Guns White Calf was the son of Chief White Calf. He became widely known beyond Blackfeet country through delegations, public appearances and newspaper coverage, but his significance begins at home: as a family member, advocate and leader.

Accounts remember a man who moved between worlds without surrendering his identity. He spoke for Blackfeet interests, participated in diplomatic visits and stood for the survival of ceremony and culture.

This page centers the person and the family—not only the famous images later associated with his likeness.

Historic Blackfeet delegation gathered during a public ceremony
In public and in ceremony. Blackfeet delegations traveled to advocate, build relationships and represent their people. Chief Two Guns White Calf’s public life belongs within that broader history of sovereignty and diplomacy.

His daughter · Her own story

Rosa White Calf-Sharp

A name the family refuses to let disappear

Rosa White Calf-Sharp was Chief Two Guns White Calf’s daughter. According to the family’s account, she was forced to assimilate through the boarding-school system and later compelled to marry a man about 30 years her senior.

Her story was pushed from view. She became lost in systems that separated Indigenous children from family, language and identity, and even her name was erased from much of the public record.

The Estate’s work is for Rosa, too. Reclaiming this history means defending not only Chief Two Guns White Calf’s image and lineage, but also the daughter whose life carries the human cost of that history.

Rosa deserves to be named, remembered and restored to her rightful place in her family’s story.

Securing the Estate

A registered family estate business

The family has taken a foundational step to protect and carry forward the Estate’s work. John Two Guns White Calf Family Estate LLC is a domestic limited liability company formed in Montana, registered on July 21, 2026.

Registered name
John Two Guns White Calf Family Estate LLC
Montana filing number
C1661437
Entity type
Domestic limited liability company
Status
Active and in Good Standing
Registered
07/21/2026

Active legal matter

The Estate’s case

The Estate is pursuing claims concerning the commercial use of Chief Two Guns White Calf’s image and related consultation obligations. Because the matter is active, statements about responsibility and relief are allegations and positions advanced by the Estate, not final court findings.

The Estate’s position is that decisions involving the Chief’s likeness and legacy should not be made without meaningful participation by his descendants. The case raises questions of authorization, right of publicity, historical accountability and federal consultation.

  1. 01

    Consent and authority

    Who had authority to approve commercial use of the Chief’s likeness—and whose voice was missing?

  2. 02

    Recognition and remedy

    The Estate seeks recognition of the family’s interests and appropriate legal remedies.

  3. 03

    Consultation and participation

    The family maintains that future decisions affecting this legacy must include the Estate at the table.

Court
Blackfeet Tribal Court
Case number
2024CA-139
Estate lead
Kenneth Conway Jr.
Status
Active matter

A national image, a family story

Reclaiming the historical record

Chief Two Guns White Calf has long been associated in public memory with the profile on the Buffalo nickel and with imagery used by the Washington football franchise under its former Redskins branding. Some historical attributions remain disputed; the family’s lived history and legal claims deserve precise, careful telling.

Obverse and reverse of a Buffalo nickel

Accuracy over slogans

The Estate’s work is not limited to an argument about an image. It is about the dignity of a Blackfeet ancestor, the role of descendants in decisions about his legacy and the difference between public mythology and a complete historical record.

“He was not merely a symbol. He was a leader, a diplomat, a husband and an ancestor.”

The Redskins logo and the Washington Commanders

For decades, the profile associated with Chief Two Guns White Calf was the face of the Washington Redskins logo, one of the most recognizable marks in the National Football League. After the franchise retired the Redskins name, it competed briefly as the Washington Football Team and now plays as the Washington Commanders. Through every rebrand, the man behind that image and his descendants have remained largely absent from the story.

Fight42Guns exists to change that. The John Two Guns White Calf Family Estate LLC is pursuing recognition, authorization and consultation over the commercial use of the Chief’s likeness, so that the family represented in that famous logo has a voice in how it is remembered, and so that searches for the Redskins logo, the Washington Commanders and Chief Two Guns White Calf lead back to the family’s own record.

Family-led

Clear roles. One purpose.

The Estate’s public work is led by family and supported by dedicated legal, communications and community partners.

Kenneth Conway Jr.

Estate lead and lead plaintiff. Kenneth Conway Jr. speaks for the Estate’s legal position and family-directed advocacy.

Press & media relations

Media coordination supports accurate coverage, public education and direct access to the Estate’s authorized representatives.

Historical image source: Montana History Portal. Campaign details and secure giving: Givebutter.