Russell Means

Lore & Background

Means was born on November 10, 1939, in Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was given the name Waŋblí Ohítika by his mother, meaning 'Brave Eagle' in Lakota. In 1942, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from San Leandro High School in 1958 and attended four colleges but did not graduate.

His father died in 1967. Means worked for a year in the Office of Economic Opportunity before moving to Cleveland, Ohio. He joined AIM in December 1969 and participated in the 1969 Alcatraz occupation. He was appointed AIM's first national director in 1970. He led protests including the seizure of the Mayflower II in 1970 and the takeover of Mount Rushmore in 1971.

In 1972, he participated in the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters. In 1973, he appeared as a spokesman during the Wounded Knee occupation. He resigned from AIM in 1974 to run for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, losing to Richard Wilson. In the late 1970s, he worked internationally with the International Indian Treaty Council.

In the 1980s, he supported the Miskito group MISURASATA in Nicaragua. He announced his retirement from AIM on January 8, 1988. In 1993, he was allied with the American Indian Movement Confederation of Autonomous Chapters. In 1999, he accused Vernon and Clyde Bellecourt of involvement in the murder of Annie Mae Aquash.

Reader's Guide

Means began an acting career in 1992, appearing in films such as The Last of the Mohicans, Pocahontas, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He released his own music CD and published his autobiography Where White Men Fear to Tread in 1995.

Did You Know?

• He lost the hearing in one ear due to a misdiagnosed ear infection at a reservation clinic.