Former AIM activist Means says he's cancer free

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A former American Indian Movement activist who helped lead the 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee says he's beaten cancer.

Russell Means in a video posted to one of his websites this week said he's essentially cancer free now and the good news will be confirmed in a month.

Means had announced in August that he had inoperable throat cancer and was forgoing mainstream medical treatments in favor of traditional American Indian remedies and alternative treatments in Arizona.

The movement known as AIM was founded in the late 1960s to protest the U.S. government's treatment of Native Americans and demand the government honor its treaties with Indian tribes. Means says the movement eventually faded away, the result of Native Americans becoming self-aware and self-determined.

Tags: news, updates, health, indian