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Birth
Russell Means was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to Theodora Louise Feather and Walter "Hank" Means. -
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Lives in California
Means is 3 when his family resettles in the San Francisco Bay area. He graduates in 1958 from San Leandro (Calif.) High School. -
Joined the American Indian Movement
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First Protest
Means and other AIM activists stage their first protest in Boston, seizing the Mayflower II, a replica ship of the Mayflower, to protest the Puritans’ and United States’ mistreatment of Native Americans. -
American Indian Movement's takeover of Mt. Rushmore
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Trail of Broken Treaties
Means participates in the Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country protest that starts in California and culminates in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to American Indian issues such as treaty rights, living conditions and inadequate housing. It ends with the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building. -
Takeover of Wounded Knee
Powerful Pictures from Wounded KneeFeb. 27, 1973: Means, Banks and AIM members head a 71-day takeover of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The armed standoff involves more than 300 Lakota and AIM activists against FBI and state law enforcement officials. Interview Taken From Wounded Knee -
Clash at Minnehaha Country Courthouse
Means and other AIM members clash with police at the Minnehaha County Courthouse during a trial over the previous year’s Custer County Courthouse disturbance. Means eventually serves just over a year in the state penitentiary for his involvement in the Sioux Falls riot. -
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Supports the Misurasata
With AIM membership divided in part over differences among members regarding support for the indigenous peoples in Nicaragua, Means announces his support for the Miskito tribal group MISURASATA, which is allied with the Contras. He travels to the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua in these two years on fact-finding tours. Some members of AIM support the Sandinistas of the national government. -
Run for President
Means runs for the nomination of president of the Libertarian Party, losing to Ron Paul. If I were President , watch what Russell Means would do if he were President. -
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Russell Means is in the Peak of his acting career
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Where White Men Fear to Tread
Means publishes his autobiography, Where White Men Fear to Tread Click here to watch a tribute to Means and his work of Where White Men Fear to Tread -
Means Pardoned for 1974 riot
Gov. Bill Janklow pardons Means for his conviction in the 1974 riot at the Minnehaha County Courthouse. -
Runs for President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe
2004: Means runs for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, but loses to Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first woman elected president of the tribe. -
