Russell Means
Russell Means was a prominent Native American activist, born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on November 10, 1939. He gained national recognition as a key figure in the American Indian Movement (AIM) after joining in 1969, where he showcased his skills as a media strategist through provocative actions, such as painting Plymouth Rock red in 1971. Means emerged as a central leader during significant confrontations, including the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the armed standoff at Wounded Knee in 1973. Despite facing numerous legal challenges, including fabricated charges against him, he remained a steadfast advocate for Indigenous rights. After serving time in prison, he continued his activism, notably through the Yellow Thunder Camp occupation, aimed at reclaiming Lakota treaty lands. In 1988, Means made history as the first American Indian to run for the U.S. presidency, intending to bring attention to Native American issues. He also led protests against Columbus Day celebrations, highlighting the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples. Overall, Russell Means is remembered as a significant and controversial figure in the struggle for Native American rights and recognition.
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Russell Means
Activist
- Born: November 10, 1939
- Birthplace: Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
- Died: October 22, 2012
Category: Activist
Tribal affiliation: Oglala Lakota (Sioux)
Significance: Means has been a principal leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM)
Russell Charles Means was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on November 10, 1939, and reared in Oakland, California, where his parents moved during World War II. In 1969, he was asked to join the American Indian Movement (AIM). He soon revealed talent as a media strategist, attracting national attention through actions such as painting Plymouth Rock red on Thanksgiving Day of 1971.
By the time of the Trail of Broken Treaties occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) headquarters building in Washington, D.C., in November, 1972, Means was one of AIM’s primary leaders. He continued this role in subsequent confrontations, notably the armed standoff at Wounded Knee from February to May of 1973.
After Wounded Knee, Means was charged with forty-seven felonies, most of them dismissed when it was proved that the FBI and federal prosecutors had fabricated evidence with which to “neutralize” him. Meanwhile, he suffered four assassination attempts. He was finally imprisoned in 1978, after South Dakota obtained his conviction on the somewhat arcane charge of “criminal syndicalism.” Means later resumed his activism, launching the occupation of Yellow Thunder Camp in the Black Hills (1981 to 1985) as part of an effort to recover Lakota treaty lands. In 1988, he became the first American Indian to pursue the U.S. presidency in an attempt to “inject Indian issues into the consciousness of the American public.”
In the years prior to the Columbian quincentennary, Means also led a series of demonstrations in Denver, Colorado—the city in which commemoration of “Columbus Day” originated—to “protest celebration of the genocide of American Indians embodied in the Columbian legacy.” He was successful in stopping the events planned for Denver in 1992.
Bibliography
Matthiessen, Peter. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. 2d ed. New York: Viking Press, 1991.
Weyler, Rex. Blood of the Land: The U.S. Government and Corporate War Against the First Nation. 2d ed. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1992.