Russell Means: biography, films, roles

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Russell Charles Means (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an Oglala Sioux activist who championed the rights of Native Americans. Joining the American Indian Association (AIM) in 1968, he became one of its leaders and was involved in organizing several protest movements that attracted a lot of media attention. Means was a significant person in the international affairs of indigenous peoples, fought for the recognition of the rights of the Indians of Central and South America. He was active in politics in his native Indian settlement of Pine Ridge. Since 1992, Means has appeared in many films. He released his own music album, and in 1995 published his autobiography. Russell Means died in 2012 at the age of 72.

Russell Means: Biography

Means was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1939. When Russell was three years old, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1958Means graduated from San Leandro, California High School. Later, after studying at four different colleges, Russell did not graduate from any of them. In his autobiography in 1995, Means spoke of a rough childhood - his father was an alcoholic, and Russell himself became a criminal and also suffered from alcoholism, but then he found employment in the American Indian movement in Minneapolis, San Francisco Chronicle. In 1967 his father died. After that, Means lived in several Indian settlements throughout the United States and was in constant search of work.

Means joins AIM and protests

In 1968, Means joined the American Indian Association (AIM), after a while, in 1970, he became the first national director of AIM, and the organization began a period of rising protests. On Thanksgiving Day in 1970, Means participated in his first protest in Boston with AIM activists. They captured the Mayflower II, a copy of the Mayflower ship. In 1971, Means, as part of AIM, also participated in the capture of Mount Rushmore Hill (Rushmore Federal Monument). Rushmore lies within the Black Hills, an area of the sacred Lakota tribe. In November 1972, Means took part in the takeover of the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) building in Washington, DC. And in 1973, the AIM occupied the village of Wounded Knee, proclaiming their independent tribal rule in it. This became AIM's most famous protest. Over 300 Lakota and AIM activists fought the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and statelaw enforcement agencies. The armed confrontation lasted for more than two months.

Indian politics

In 1974, Means ran for president of his native Oglala Sioux tribe. But in the election results, Russell lost to incumbent President Richard Wilson by more than 200 votes. But voters complained about intimidation by Wilson's private militia. The US government conducted its own investigation and confirmed the problems in the election, but the federal court upheld their results. In the late 1970s, Means participated in an international forum where the rights of indigenous peoples were discussed. On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he helped establish the KILI radio station and the Porcupine Clinic.

AIM split

In the 1980s, AIM split into two rival factions. This division was due to disagreements among members of the organization regarding support for indigenous peoples in Nicaragua. Means announced his support for a Miskito group (later known as YATAMA) that was associated with the Contras. Means became convinced that the Miskito people were targeted for extermination. Some members of the AIM supported the Sandinistas of the national government, although they forced thousands of Miskito to leave their home territory. Minnesota-based AIM's "Grand Board of Governors" asked Means to stop presenting himself as the leader of AIM. But despite this, other heads of AIM continued to support him. On January 8, 1988, Means announced his resignation from AIM, stating that the organization had achieved itsgoals. In January of this year, the AIM Grand Council of Governors, led by the Bellecour brothers, asked the press "never again to report that Means was the founder of the American Indian movement, nor to say that he was the leader of the American Indian Movement." In 1993, AIM officially split into two independent organizations: the Minnesota-based AIM Grand Board of Governors, which copyrighted its name (AIM), and the Colorado American Indian Movement, of which Means was a part.

Other political activities

November 11, 2001 Russell Means spoke out against the War on Terror at a DC anti-war protest. In the early 1980s, Russell began to support politicians from the Libertarian Party. In 1983, he was Larry Flynt's aide in his failed bid to become President of the United States. And in 1987, Means decided to participate in the Libertarian Party presidential election himself and received significant support, taking 2nd place (31.41%) in the 1987 Libertarian National Convention. In 2001, Means announced his candidacy for governor of New Mexico. However, his team was unable to meet all the necessary procedural requirements, and he was not allowed to participate in the elections. In 2004, Russell ran for president of the Oglala Sioux, but lost out to Cecilia Fire Thunder, the first woman to be elected tribal president. In 2007, Denver police arrested 80 protesters, including Means, for staging their rally.during the Columbus Day parade, which they said was a "genocide celebration."

Russell Means: film roles

Beginning in 1992, Means has appeared in many films and television shows, first as the lead Chingachgook in The Last of the Mohicans. Russell Means in the film Pathfinder (1996) starred as Arrowhead. He also played in the film "Natural Born Killers" (1994). He narrated the third Disney feature film Pocahontas (1995) and its sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), in which he played the father of the main character, Chief Powhatan. With the increased popularity on the Internet, many photos of Russell Means have appeared. He was also featured as a character in the Access Software adventure game Under the Killing Moon by Microsoft Game Studios. Russell Means recorded a CD titled Electric Warrior, whose label was SOAR. The album contains live performances in America and includes Une Gente Indio, Hey You, Hey Indian, Wounded Knee Set Us Free and Indian Cars Go Far. American pop artist Andy Warhol painted 18 individual portraits of Russell Meane in 1976. The Dayton Art Institute has one of them.

Means' illness and death

In August 2011, Means was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. But he told The Associated Press he is ditching “medical procedures in favor of traditional American Indian treatment. In September of the same year, Means reported that thanks to tomotherapy, his tumor was reduced by 95%. He later said that he was completely cured. However, the next year his he althworsened and he died on October 22, 2012. ABC News stated that Means "lived a life as a modern-day American Indian warrior, accused of broken treaties, fighting to reclaim land taken from Indians, and even taking up arms against the nation's government, speaking to national attention, speaking of the plight of poor tribes, and often complaining." to the weakening of Indian culture. Russell Means had ten children with five different wives. He was married to his fifth wife, Gloria Grant Means, for the rest of his life.