White Antelope (Cheyenne chief)

White Antelope (Cheyenne: Wōkaī hwō'kō mǎs; c. 1789 – November 29, 1864) was a chief of the Southern Cheyenne. He was known for his advocacy of peace between white Americans living in the Great Plains until his killing at the Sand Creek massacre. Accounts of the massacre conflict as to whether White Antelope led his people in resistance to the attack or continued to advocate for peace until his death. White Antelope's body was desecrated after the massacre, and the blanket he was wearing stolen.

In his early years he became known as a great warrior, and was later involved in several treaties regarding the land of the Cheyenne. During the 1860s, despite worsening relations between the Cheyenne and white people living in Colorado, White Antelope remained optimistic that peace could be achieved. Led by John Chivington to believe that his people would be safe there, White Antelope and other Cheyenne chiefs led their people in peace to Fort Lyon. They settled with Arapaho on Sand Creek. On November 29, 1864, Chivington brought a force of hundreds of soldiers and began firing on the town unprovoked. After his killing, the song that White Antelope supposedly sang as he died became well-known, and has been used at events commemorating the massacre: "nothing lives long ... only the earth and mountains ..."