of pride in traditional Indian values in an effort to turn Indians away from alcohol, crime, and despair" (Weyler 36). One of the most important functions of the original AIM was to protect drunken Indians from being beaten up by the local police (Cornell 189). With the growing success of AIM in Minneapolis, the organization began to branch out to other cities as well. The movement began to make even more rapid progress after Russell Means joined up with Dennis Banks in the leadership of AIM. Means was an Oglala Sioux who had grown up on the Pine Ridge reservation, the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre. By the time he joined the leadership of AIM, Means had already established a reputation as a great leader, organizer, and speaker in the Indian activist movement. Together, Russell Means and Dennis Banks became "the most inspiring and best known of AIM's leaders" (Josephy 236).
Early protests and demonstrations conducted by AIM started bringing national attention to the organization. Soon, the leaders of the group decided to move beyond
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