Russell Means and Wilma Mankiller: Indian Leaders of the 20t
In leading Indian people, there have been many leadership styles over the centuries that have been successfully employed to aid a cause. Some Indian leaders developed a reputation for militancy, while some became notorious for pacifism. Both styles of leadership have their downfalls, and both styles of leadership have been used successfully to achieve the goals set before the people. In the 20th century, few Indian leaders have achieved national notoriety for their leadership efforts, but among these, Russell Means of the Lakota Sioux Nation and Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Western Band of the Cherokee, have achieved national and international acclaim for their labors.Russell Means was born November 10, 1939 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near the Black Hills of South Dakota. In the late 1960s, Means began his fight for Indian rights with the American Indian Movement (AIM). He became the first national director of AIM and has remained active in the movement since then. In 1964, Means was among the Indian activists, including his father Hank Means, who occupied Alcatraz Island in an AIM protest lasting 19 months. In 1973, Means helped lead the AIM takeover of Wounded Knee. In occupying this site of a
She thereby became the first woman ever to serve as chief of a major Native American tribe. In 1983 she won election as deputy principal Cherokee chief, and when the principal chief became head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1985, Mankiller succeeded him as principal chief. In 1969 she became active in the Native American Rights movement. One leader is a highly charismatic, flamboyant, and militant individual who has reaped benefits for his people by forcefully creating situations which showcase his agenda. The other leader, a humble, soft-spoken woman, has worked to bolster her tribe from the inside out. Both of these individuals were successful in their own way. Both have created a better atmosphere for their people; both have made the lives of Indians in America a little easier; and both have called upon the American Government to be held at greater accountability for their unfulfilled promises to the American Indian. Wilma Mankiller, however, didn't use the media to bring attention to the dire straits of her people; instead, she employed a go-for-it attitude that has created tangible benefits for her people as they enjoy higher literacy, better healthcare, and lower poverty levels. She emphasized the necessity of retaining certain Cherokee traditions by creating the Institute for Cherokee Literacy. He also ran for President of the Oglala Sioux Reservation, but was defeated by Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first woman ever to be elected to that position. Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on November 18, 1945, Wilma Mankiller grew up on a farm granted to her grandfather as part of a government settlement after the forced relocation of his tribe. Two years later she was elected chief in her own right. Both events brought worldwide attention to the injustices and privation faced by American Indians past and present. The contrasts between the two styles of leadership are highly apparent. He also wanted to ensure that the people of his reservation would be able to hold honest elections for their government offices.
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