Northern Cheyenne traditional Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr, Heove ve'keso (Yellowbird), comes from a long line of chiefs and horse people, who are caretakers of horse medicine and songs.

Phillip Whiteman Jr. is a two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider in the Indian National Finals Rodeo (INFR) in 1985 and 1999. He qualified 26 times for the INFR and held the highest mark ride of 86 points for 34 years. He won the Open Northern Rodeo Association (NRA) title twice in 1991 and 1993, and was a seven-time world finalist at El Paso, Texas under the North American Rodeo Commission (NARC).

He became a champion in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) and was selected to join their first All American Rodeo and Wild West Show to Europe, organized by Jerome Robinson. As a PRCA member he became the first European tour champion in Helsinki, Finland, with a score of 91, besting the champions of the time, including three-time PRCA world champion, Monty (Hawkeye) Henson. He competed on the same tour in Paris, France, in 1991.

For 15 years he put on rodeo schools for indigenous and non-indigenous children in his home community on the Northern Cheyenne reservation with PRCA Hall of Fame legends, including: Shawn Davis; Charlie Sampson; Bruce Ford; Donny Gay; and Gary Leffew.

He competed as an old-style grass dancer often winning in both the professional rodeo and powwow arenas at the same time, including at Navajo Nation Fair; the Shoshone Bannock Festival; Crow Fair; and Oglala Fair. He is also a traditional storyteller and flute player and award-winning recording artist, including winning an Indian Summer Music Award and Native American Music Awards (NAMA) nominations. He served as culture and language advisor for the Hollywood A-List movie Hostiles.

Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr. has been committed to giving back to Indigenous children and youth, including in his home community. He also offers trainings across North America through his organization Spirit Seeker Solution combining his lifetime of experience and his ancestral teachings to connect horse, human and spirit.