He was the son of Many Bullet Wounds and Eagle Feather on the Forehead. As a child he was called Eats From His Hand but he had an uncle named Wooden Leg because he was known for walking long distances. His nephew was the only one who could keep up with him on these long walks so he acquired the name as well.
His first experience of battle with U.S. forces was at Fort Kearny in 1866 when he was eight years old. He did not fight but his brother Strong Wind Blowing was killed. When he was 14 he was invited to join the Elkhorn Scrapers warrior band by Left Hand Shooter.
He and his brother Yellow Hair were at the Little Big Horn in 1876, after which they refused to move to a reservation, insisting that they had a right to their freedom. Eventually they succumbed to hunger and went to the White River reservation which later became Pine Ridge. Later they met up with Little Wolf's party and in 1889 Wooden Leg enlisted as a scout at Fort Keogh. The following year he guided soldiers during the Wounded Knee Massacre.
In 1913 he was part of a delegation sent to Washington to represent the Cheyenne; his companions were Black Wolf, Two Moons and Little Wolf, nephew of the great leader. He went on to become a tribal judge, resolving arguments and teaching the laws of the United States.
He related the story of his life and much of the history and customs of the Cheyenne to Dr. Thomas B. Marquis, communicating by Indian Sign Language. Wooden Leg: A Warrior Who Fought Custer was published in 1931.
Wooden Leg died in 1940.
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