Thomas White Calf has a request for Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris. Give his great-uncle back.

John Two Guns White Calf, a Blackfeet chief born in 1872, was the most photographed Native American of the early 20th century. His likeness appeared on the U.S. Mint's Indian head nickel in 1913. He met President Calvin Coolidge. When he died in 1934, the New York Times ran his obituary. In 1971, Blackfeet tribal leader Walter "Blackie" Wetzel designed a logo bearing Two Guns White Calf's portrait and presented it to the Washington Redskins as what the family calls a "forever gift." That image adorned helmets, fields, and marketing materials for 48 years.

In 2020, it was erased. Nobody asked the family.

"The fans want him back and we want him back," Thomas White Calf told Fox News after meeting with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, about restoring the name and image. "We want to meet face to face with Josh Harris and tell him our side of the story. We want the Redskins back in the NFL, and we want the image of Two Guns back with the Redskins."

Daines, who arranged the meeting, framed it plainly. "This is about righting a wrong," he said. "It's a point of pride and represents the rich Native American history."

The family isn't alone. The Native American Guardians Association, whose adviser Billy Dieckman is a member of the Kiowa Tribe, has been pushing a petition to restore the name that is now nearing 100,000 signatures. Dieckman told Fox News that "90 percent of natives are in approval and see it as a proud symbol." He added: "Our fight is to reinstate this because it was taken away without consulting us, without any of our approval."

The Commanders, as reported by the Blaze's Kerry J. Byrne, have developed a relationship with Ryan Wetzel, grandson of the man who designed the original logo. But the White Calf family — the actual descendants of the man in the image — says they've been ignored for decades. "We want a seat at the table," Thomas White Calf said. His mother, Delphine White Calf, the late chief's niece, has been part of the effort as well.

Historian Andre Billeaudeaux, author of "How the Redskins Got Their Name," has pointed out what should be obvious: Two Guns White Calf was a real person, not a mascot. The distinction matters because the entire campaign to scrub the name and image was built on the premise that it dehumanized Native Americans. The family of the man being "dehumanized" is standing in front of cameras saying it honored him.

The name change in 2020 didn't come from a tribal vote or a petition from indigenous communities. It came from corporate sponsors threatening to pull money during a summer of racial unrest. Former owner Daniel Snyder folded, saying the name had "increasingly become a distraction" and that the change was made "in the spirit of inclusivity." The team went through the embarrassing intermediate step of calling itself the "Washington Football Team" before landing on Commanders in 2022. Josh Harris's investor group purchased the franchise in 2023.

The National Congress of American Indians published a 29-page report in 2013 titled "Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports." The report did not mention John Two Guns White Calf once — the man whose face was the logo for 48 years. Byrne's reporting in the Blaze, spanning a 45,000-word investigation into the media fraud surrounding the name change, documented how the people who claimed to speak for Native Americans never consulted the ones with the most direct connection to the image.

Dieckman put it simply: "Our voice has not been heard, and that's what NAGA is designed for."

The team said it is "collaborating with Sen. Daines to honor the legacy of our team's heritage." No commitment to restoring the name. No commitment to restoring the image. Just corporate language about honoring legacy while keeping the legacy locked in a drawer.

A Blackfeet chief's portrait was gifted to a football team by his own tribe. It represented their heritage for nearly half a century. It was removed to satisfy people who never asked the family what they thought. Now the family is asking for it back, and the franchise is collaborating on honoring heritage.

That's a lot of words for "no."