INTRODUCTION:
The L.A. Times has describe Russell as the most famous American
Indian
since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Russell Means is a natural
leader. His fearless dedication and indestructible sense of pride
are qualities admired by nations worldwide. His vision is for indigenous
people to be free... Free to be human, free to travel, free to stop,
free to trade where they choose, free to choose their own teachers, free
to follow the religion of their fathers, free to talk think and act for
themselves and then they will obey every law or submit to the penalty.
The most difficult less of of all is to respect your relatives' visions.
At CopperCards Russell will be working to establish new commercial
enterprises in Native Nations. CopperCards expertise from a
spiritual, constitutional and corporate perspective will provide
opportunity both to Native Nation Citizens and U.S. Citizens alike.
"Indian's not taxed" is a significant commercial advantage to Native
Nations in the North American Continent. Where in the U.S. the
14th Amendment has been utilized to the determent of residents of this
continent, the equivalent 14th Amendment Native Nation Corporations that
are naturally born "Indian" can provide businesses and citizens of the
Native Nations significant advantages. Russell will be working
closely with CopperCards in developing solutions, products and services
that benefit all people in the North American Continent.
Russell Means has lived a life like few others in this century -
revered for his selfless accomplishments and remarkable bravery. He was
born into a society and guided by way of life that gently denies the
self in order to promote the survival and betterment of family and
community. His culture is driven by tradition, which at once links the
past to the present.
The L.A. Times has called him the most famous American Indian since
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. His indomitable sense of pride and
leadership has become embedded in our national character. Today, his
path has brought him to Hollywood, thus enabling him to use different
means to communicate his vital truths. Through the power of media, his
vision is to create peaceful and positive images celebrating the magic
and mystery of his American Indian heritage. In contemplating the
fundamental issues about the world in which we live, he is committed to
educating all people about our most crucial battle - the preservation of
the earth.
Thirty years ago, reflecting the consciousness of the sixties, he
captured national attention when he led the 71-day armed takeover on the
sacred grounds of Wounded Knee, a tiny hamlet in the heart of South
Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation. Means joined �The Longest Walk� in 1978
to protest a new tide of anti-Indian legislation including the forced
sterilization of Indian women. Following the walk, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed a resolution saying that national policy was to
protect the rights of Indians, �to believe, express and exercise their
traditional religions, including but not limited to access to sites, use
and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through
ceremonials and traditional rites.�
Today, with the same passionate determination, he has directed his
energy towards the entertainment industry. In a record period of time,
this famed political activist and early leader of the American Indian
Movement (AIM) has become immersed in all five corners of the business,
with projects including: Lead roles in major feature films, (The Last of
the Mohicans, Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, as a chief in John
Candy's comedy Wagons East and as the ghost of Jim Thorpe in Wind
Runner); Disney's third highest ever selling video (Pocahantas) in which
he was the voice of Pocahontas' father, a television documentary for HBO
(Paha Sapa), (Indian Father and Son) a pilot he created; Two albums of
protest music with lyrics he wrote (Electric Warrior and The Radical).
On the technological side, he stars in a CD-ROM (Under A Killing Moon)
and has created his own website www.russellmeans.com. The website
features information regarding the A.I.M. club, his recordings via the
American Indian Music Company, his art, book, current events, biography
and upcoming appearances and direct e-mail to Russell. Born on South
Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation in 1939, Russell Means is the eldest son
of Hank Means, an Oglala Sioux, and Theodora (Feather) Means, a
full-blooded Yankton Sioux. Shortly after the outbreak of WWII, his
family moved to California, where he graduated from San Leandro High in
1958 and continued his formal education at Oakland City College and
Arizona State.
Russell's commitment to uplift the plight of his people escalated
when he served as director of Cleveland's American Indian Center. It was
there he met Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement,
and embarked upon a relationship that would rocket them both into
national prominence. During this period, Russell staged numerous events
designed to bring dignity to the American Indian. His most famous act of
defiance, however, occurred at Wounded Knee on February 27, 1973.
Responding to the numerous murders perpetrated by puppet tribal
governments and the extreme conditions of oppression, the takeover at
Wounded Knee revisited the sight of the American Indian massacre at the
hands of U.S. soldiers in 1890. Ever vigilant for his cause, Russell has
been lauded by the international community for his tireless efforts.
Russell splits his time between San Jose, NM, his ranch on the Pine
Ridge Sioux Indian reservation, Porcupine, SD and his office in Santa
Monica, CA. He takes pride in having instituted programs for the
betterment of his people: notable, the Porcupine Health Clinic (the only
non government funded clinic in Indian Country) and KILI radio, the
first Indian owned radio station. Today, one of his principle goals is
the establishment of a 'Total Immersion School', which is based on a
concept created by the Maori people of New Zealand, where children are
immersed in the language, culture, science, music and storytelling of
their own people. Russell will adapt this total immersion concept to the
Indian way of life and philosophy which is taught from a perspective
that will nurture a new generation of proud children educated in the
context of their own heritage.
Russell Means has devoted his life to eliminating racism of any kind,
and in so doing he leaves a historical imprint as the most revolutionary
Indian leader of the late twentieth century. An inspirational visionary,
Russell Means remains one of the most magnetic voices in America today.
Whether leading a protest, fighting for constitutional rights, starring
in a motion picture, or performing his 'rap-ajo' music, the message he
delvers is consistent with the philosophy he lives by, which states:
The Universe which controls all life, has a female and male balance
that is prevalent throughout our Sacred Grandmother, the Earth.
This balance has to be acknowledged and become the determining factor
in all of one's decisions, be they spiritual, social, healthful,
educational or economical.
Once the balance has become an integral part of one's life, all
planning, research, direct action and follow-up becomes a matter of
course. The goals that were targeted become a reality on a consistent
basis. Good things happen to good People; remember time is on your side. |
