Russell Means, dead from esophageal cancer at the age of 72.
He rose to national attention as a leader of the American Indian Movement in 1970 by directing a band of Indian protesters who seized the Mayflower II ship replica at Plymouth, Mass., on Thanksgiving Day. The boisterous confrontation between Indians and costumed “Pilgrims” attracted network television coverage and made Mr. Means an overnight hero to dissident Indians and sympathetic whites.Theatrical protests...
Later, he orchestrated an Indian prayer vigil atop the federal monument of sculptured presidential heads at Mount Rushmore....
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43 comments:
If a tree falls in the forest....
All protests are theatrical.
Two famous dead South Dakotans...who will be the third? There are not that many. Tom Brokaw is probably getting a checkup today.
He was great as Chingachgook in Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans.
Hey, I think I remember Russell Means! Wasn't he that crying Indian from the "Give us kids a chance" anti-pollution commercial?
Wait, I think I'm mixing up two commercials. Did Russell Means play Woodsie Owl?
Hey, I think I remember Russell Means! Wasn't he that crying Indian from the "Give us kids a chance" anti-pollution commercial?
Iron Eyes Cody.
Who was naturally Italian.
EMD,
You're harshing my grade school satire what with your taking me seriously, and stuff.
The Indians' answer to Jesse Jackson.
EMD,
You're harshing my grade school satire what with your taking me seriously, and stuff
My linkage is for the benefit of others.
Alternative histories fascinate me, but I can't see one where an industrial society could live next to, and in harmony with a stone age one. The new world tragedy, while terrible for the first peoples, was probably unavoidable in the history of the planet. If not for the shear bad luck of the natives' susceptibility to disease, it might of been very different, maybe better, but likely just much bloodier.
RIP.
But, really, isn't Law Professor (apologies, Ann) Elizabeth Warren the best known Indian?
Regards — Cliff
The minister of our church died from the same thing recently. He was about 20 years younger than Means.
Unarguably, the best-known American Indian was not Russel Means. It's tie between Ward Churchill and Elizabeth Warren.
Wait...neither of them are? Wow, it's like the left just keeps on lying!
I'm sure Inga the Lying Obama Whore and Garbage Pail worship them both, however, as "true" Indians.
The hard part about being an Indian in the Libertarian Party is having to explain over and over that your parents' tepee doesn't even have a basement.
That he's not dead from smallpox speaks volumes.
Russell Means' indian ancestors would have barfed at the thought of one of their own "protesting" "discrimination" by white men. How weak.
Conservative indian author David Yeagley had it right when he wrote that if his Comanche ancestors had had a chance to conquer the whites' land, they would have done it and they wouldn't have apologized for it, either.
Land belongs to the tribe that can hold it. The white tribe across the big water was stronger than the indian tribes. Simple as that.
"If you want an example of the failure of socialism, don't go to Russia, come to America and go to the Indian reservations." James Watt
Having grown up in the SW, I never thought he was wrong about that nor that Mr Means did not have a good point in some respects.
The evidence points to "first peoples" originate out of Asia via the Alaskan land bridge. No human beings "sprang" from the American soil.
Esophageal cancer also took the much admired Christopher Hitchens earlier this year, but at a younger age. I miss Hitch. I will not miss the grievance whore Russell Means.
Means had a jolly old time celebrating the victory of the united Lakota/Cheyenne forces over a detachment of the 7th US Cavalry lead by Lt. Col. G. A. Custer in 1873, a jolly old time indeed... What a stupid man he was. Pyrrhus of Epirus was wise enough not to celebrate Heraclea.
leftards and their ideology is all kabuki. Either way, Americans won, Indians lost. Now we have their casinos. Next.
"The new world tragedy, while terrible for the first peoples, was probably unavoidable in the history of the planet."
Indeed. Just like the tragedy that the "first people" wrought upon the previously-first-people that inhabited North America before they wandered over.
Bryan - any evidence for that?
Clovis people not first to America
I used to see him at powwows in South Dakota and Minnesota, wearing a baseball jacket with a big American Indian Movement logo embroidered on the back.
What he was campaigning for changed from time to time. But it seemed that he was cultivating himself as some kind of icon, in a Jesse Jackson sort of way. A lot of Native people made fun of him.
RIP
I like David Yeagley. I think I saw him on a TV show once in rebuttal to Ward Churchill.
It's so telling that the progressive establishment does not recognize him, a true Indian, but embraces people like Means and Churchill and Warren.
Regardless of what he said or did, Russell Means was a fullblood Oglala Lakota and as "true" an Indian as there is.
Esophageal cancer.
We gave them firewater. They gave us tobacco. Nice trade.
bagoh20 said...
Alternative histories fascinate me, but I can't see one where an industrial society could live next to, and in harmony with a stone age one. The new world tragedy, while terrible for the first peoples, was probably unavoidable in the history of the planet. If not for the shear bad luck of the natives' susceptibility to disease, it might of been very different, maybe better, but likely just much bloodier.
Europeans were lucky. The disease exchange could have been mutual, or gone the other way.
This is a lesson to all of you. Go NOW and get an Endoscopy. See if you have problems you don't know about. This is a very painful way to die, and it can be prevented.
"... and, with theatrical protests that brought national attention to poverty and discrimination suffered by his people, became arguably the nation’s best-known Indian since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse."
Better known than Elizabeth Warren, really? I don't think so.
Go NOW and get an Endoscopy.
Starting with what age? Even if I never smoked a day in my life?
Have a colonoscopy while your at it.
The catholics just erected a Saint from the American Indians.
They said that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is just the same Creator as the pagan sun gods who require human sacrifices for 10 thousand years.
Strange.
Regardless of what he said or did, Russell Means was a fullblood Oglala Lakota and as "true" an Indian as there is.
...and he died a Libertarian.
Unarguably, the best-known American Indian...It's tie between Ward Churchill and Elizabeth Warren.
Newly-discovered confirmation of Elizabeth Warren's Indian heritage. So THERE!
First time to post, but longtime reader. I was covering the 1992 Denver Columbus Day Parade and Protest by Means and company. The protesters stopped the parade, but the Italian Americans decided to take an alternative route a bit later. I was about 20 feet from Means, Glenn Morris and Ward Churchill in Civic Center Park. Morris and Churchill immediately wanted to go stop it and started waving their people that way. Means put his hand up then admonished Morris and Churchill to let them march. "We made our point." While I'm no fan of Means at all, he learned over the years when to pick his fights and when to back away. Publicity hound without a doubt, but not as vile in my book as Churchill.
I can't explain it, but I've always sort of liked Russell Means.
I'm sorry he's gone.
The evidence points to "first peoples" originate out of Asia via the Alaskan land bridge. No human beings "sprang" from the American soil.
Unless you choose to believe the Solutrean origin of the Clovis culture hypothesis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solutrean_hypothesis
I'm agnostic...
Quaestor said ...
Means had a jolly old time celebrating the victory of the united Lakota/Cheyenne forces over a detachment of the 7th US Cavalry
Yes, he did...which is strange since he is reported to be Oglala-Lakota Sioux. The greatest victory for this tribe was on the Bozeman Trail, where Red Cloud's Lakota defeated the US Army, soundly, and en mass. Elements of Red Cloud's "army" were present at Little big Horn.The Bozeman Trail was closed, by the US Army, and three forts destroyed, by the Lakota.
Methadras said...
... all kabuki.
Yep, what actually happened gets lost in translation and romanticism.
bagoh20 said...
Alternative histories fascinate me, but I can't see one where an industrial society could live next to, and in harmony with a stone age one.
Your perception is very good then. It's why we have "borders" Historically mass groups with very different values, ethic and mores have not been able to live in harmony with each other. No matter if its White men and Lakota, or Lakota and Crow, or Comanche and everybody as cited by @MnMark earlier...their 5 sub-tribal warrior groups dominated the wide(nearly 5 states IIRC) area known as Comancheria, so much so that White men, nor Mexicans, didn't cross it, they went around it. Before La Raza there was Comancheria.
Alex said...
Clovis people not first to America
Probably not, just like the Zulu's were not first in South Africa, where the romance seems to make them heroic....never the mind the Xhosa and Khoikhoi original people...of which are Mandela, Mb eki and Tutu.
MnMark said...
Conservative Indian author David Yeagley had it right when he wrote that if his Comanche ancestors had had a chance to conquer the whites' land, they would have done it and they wouldn't have apologized for it, either....Land belongs to the tribe that can hold it.
I believe history supports that, and I'd add the tribe or ethnic group that can make the land re-productive will retain it longer.
Good riddance. The foolish romanticization of plains Indian culture has always been preposterous. They were always miserable savages who got cute once they got Spanish horses and horse culture.
Alex, check this out.
Bagoh20,
If the Indians were not so susceptible to disease, North America would have been like Africa. There would have been countries that tried to carve out colonies, but they'd be like South Africa or Rhodesia, dominating the locals until they lost the will to do it.
Regarding the coexistence of technologically backwards societies with advanced societies, Steve Sailer posted a fascinating account of one Englishman on the Highlands of Scotland that was well worth reading:
http://isteve.blogspot.com/2012/07/diversity-before-diversity-thomas.html
FTA: ' became arguably the nation’s best-known Indian since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.'
Yeah, well, I recognize Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse but had to read the article to remember who Means was.
As for the American aboriginals: their civilization was over the day Erik the Red landed.
No written languages no wheel and no technology makes for a society at a cultural dead-end.
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