 Waneta was born about 1795 in what is now Brown County, South Dakota.At age 18, Wanata was accustomed to the ways of war and fought under his father Wakinyanduta ("Red Thunder") (Sisseton leader who eventually split off from that band to form the Cuthead band of the Yanktonai) siding with the British against the Americans in the War of 1812.He fought at the siege of Fort Meigs in 1813.