Tatanka Means to speak on campus Tuesday

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Tatanka Means will add Native American Heritage Month keynote speaker to a resume that already includes acting, comedy, speaking and boxing.

Means will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium for a free event sponsored by Central Michigan University and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Means is an actor, comedian, motivational speaker and activist from Arizona, and represents the Oglala Lakota, Omaha and Navajo nations. Means is also a former boxer and holds six championship titles.

He has acting roles in multiple TV series including “In Plain Sight,” “Freedom Riders” and “Scoundrels.” Many of his roles are American Indian characters such as the Ogala Lakota Chief Crazy Horse in TNT’s TV series “Into the West.”

Colleen Green, director of Native American programs at CMU, said she is excited to bring in a young speaker who could identify with a student audience.

“We wanted to bring Tatanka Means in because he is a young actor and a lot of our college community is younger students,” Green said. “We thought that he would be able to interact with them moreso than an older speaker talking about the same issues.”

Green said she expects Means will speak about his multiple careers as well as his American Indian heritage, incorporating his comedic experience throughout.

“We’ve asked to have him speak about his history, his culture and the comedy of being Native American as well,” Green said.

Escanaba junior Kasey McCullough, a student assistant for Native American programs, said she is looking forward to the keynote speech as well as the rest of Native American Heritage Month.

“I think it’s awesome when we get to see young native activists here who can shed light on our culture and our people,” McCullough said. “I think it will be exciting to hear him talk about the different tribes he represents and native people as a whole.”