 Waanatan II was born in 1828 on the Elm River (Pecan Wakpa) north of what is now Aberdeen, South Dakota.When his father was assassinated in 1848, the Pabaksa (Cut Head) band of Yanktonai split into three groups, each led by a son.Waanatan II moved to Lake Traverse (Bde Hdakinyan = Cross-Wise Lake) associating himself with his mother's people, the Sisitunwan Dakota.