White Hair, an Osage chief, was the head man of the Great Osages and an influential chief about the beginning of the 19th century. He was also known as Teshuhimga, Cahagatonga, Pahuska or Pawhuska, and as Cheveux Blancs by the French. The Osages in 1806 lived on the Little Osage river in the present Vernon county, Mo., in a village known as White Hair's village, where they were visited by Lieut. Pike at that time. In 1825 and 1837 the tribe lived on the west bank of the Neosho river in the present State of Kansas, their village here, also known as White Hair's village, being situated about 5 miles west of the present town of Oswego, kichland township, Labette county. Pike makes the assertion that White Hair was a chief of Pierre Chouteau's creating, and that he had neither the power nor disposition to restrain the young men from the perpetration of wrong acts, fearing he would render himself unpopular. Pike was treated in a hospitable manner by White Hair and presented that worthy and his son with "grand medals." When Pike left White Hair sent his son, whom Pike describes as a discontented young man, filled with self-pride, as an embassy, but he soon tired and left.

"White Hair seems to be identical with Papuisea (Pahusca?), who was the first signer of the treaty with the Osages at Fort Clark Nov. 10, 1808. He signed also the treaties of Sept 22, 1815; Sept. 25, 1818; Aug. 31, 1822; June 2, 1825; and Aug. 10, 1825. He died probably soon after the day, last mentioned at his village in Vernon county, Mo., and was buried in a stone tomb on the summit of Blue Mound. The grave was after desecrated by treasure seekers and prior to 1850 the chief parts of the skeleton had been taken. . . . About 1871 some of the Osages went from Kansas and rebuilt the cairn formerly covering White Hair's remains, but the whites would permit neither the stones nor the few bones of the old chief to remain." In 1865 the question of the location of the old White Hair village was the subject of some correspondence between the governor and G. J. Endicott.