Remembering Russel Means, who stood up and fought for the rights of his people.
Your memory my brother is indelibly imprinted upon The Black Hills and on all the lands of your ancestors, the earth will remember the atrocities enacted upon your people and justice will be administered.
May your spirit walk freely and unencumbered in the realm beyond the grave, I lift up my voice to the elements and I salute you this day.
KGD
Russell Charles Means (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of American Indian people, libertarian political activist, actor, writer, and musician. He became a prominent member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) after joining the organization in 1968, and helped organize notable events that attracted national and international media coverage.
Means was active in international issues of indigenous peoples, including working with groups in Central and South America, and with the United Nations for recognition of their rights. He was active in politics at his native Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and at the state and national level.
Beginning an acting career in 1992, he appeared on numerous television series and in several films, including The Last of the Mohicans, and released his own music CD. He published his autobiography “Where White Men Fear to Tread“ in 1995. Means died in 2012, less than a month before his 73rd birthday.
