Adam Fortunate Eagle facts for kids

Adam Fortunate Eagle (born Adam Nordwall) is a well-known Native American activist and a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. He is most famous for being the main organizer of the Occupation of Alcatraz, a major protest event that took place from 1969 to 1971.

Early Life and Education

Adam was born on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in 1929. His father was a Swedish man and his mother was an Ojibwe woman. After his father passed away when he was five, Adam and his siblings were sent to boarding schools.

He attended the Pipestone Indian School in Minnesota and the Haskell Institute in Kansas. At these schools, he learned many skills that helped him later in life. It was also a way to escape the difficult times of the Great Depression, when food was scarce on the reservations. At Haskell, he met his future wife, Bobbie, who was a Shoshone Indian.

Life in California and Activism

In 1951, Adam and his wife moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He started his own business, the First American Termite Company, and lived a comfortable life. However, he felt it was important for his family to connect with their Native American heritage.

He became very involved in local Native American groups and was chosen as the chairman of the United Bay Area Council of American Indian Affairs. It was during this time that he came up with the idea to take over Alcatraz Island as a form of protest.

Creative Protests

Adam became known for his creative and symbolic protests.

In 1968, a group in San Francisco held a yearly reenactment of Christopher Columbus's arrival in America. Adam convinced them to let real Native Americans play the parts instead of costumed Boy Scouts. During the event, he used his ceremonial staff to playfully flick the wig off the actor playing Columbus. This was a symbolic act to show a different perspective on history.

A year later, he gave an 18-foot totem pole to the city of Livermore. When the city cut the pole shorter before putting it in a park, Adam jokingly placed a "curse" on their sewer system. He said the curse would not be lifted until the totem pole was made whole again.

The Occupation of Alcatraz

The Occupation of Alcatraz was a major turning point for Native American rights, and Adam Fortunate Eagle was a key planner.

Planning the Protest

Adam wanted to get media attention for Native American issues. He planned a boat trip around Alcatraz Island and met with Richard Oakes, a student activist, to organize it. On November 9, 1969, they gathered people for the boat tour.

When they got near the island, Richard Oakes and a few others jumped into the water and swam for the shore. This bold move got the attention of the press. The actual occupation of the island began a few days later, on November 20, 1969.

A Symbol for a Movement

Adam did not live on Alcatraz during the 19-month occupation. Instead, he worked from the mainland, helping to get supplies to the occupiers and making sure the media continued to report on the protest. He acted as a link between the people on the island and the rest of the world.

The occupation brought national attention to the problems faced by Native Americans. Although the protesters' specific goals for Alcatraz weren't met, the event had a huge impact. In 1971, the U.S. government ended its policy of "termination," which had tried to break up tribes. A new policy of tribal self-determination, or self-government, began. Many people see the Alcatraz occupation as the start of the "Red Power" movement for Native American rights.

In 1973, while traveling to a conference in Rome, Italy, Adam arrived in his full tribal clothing. He playfully claimed the country "by right of discovery," just as Columbus had claimed America. He even met Pope Paul VI. Instead of kissing the Pope's ring as expected, Adam offered his own ringed hand. The Pope smiled and shook his hand.

Later Life and Legacy

After the Alcatraz protest, Adam Fortunate Eagle continued to be active in Native American affairs. He later taught Native American studies at California State University, Hayward.

He received his Indian name, Fortunate Eagle, from a Crow Indian when he was 42 years old. Today, he lives on the Paiute-Shoshone Reservation, where his wife was born. There, he built a special roundhouse using tires and other recycled materials.

In the 1980s, he was recognized for his beautiful sculptures. He also creates ceremonial pipes and headdresses. Because eagle feathers are sacred in his culture but protected by U.S. law, he faced a legal challenge for selling items with them.

Writing and Film

Adam Fortunate Eagle is also a talented writer and storyteller.

• He wrote "The Alcatraz Proclamation to the Great White Father and his People," which explained the protesters' goals for the island.
• His book Heart of the Rock tells the story of the Alcatraz "invasion."
• He wrote Pipestone: My Life in An Indian Boarding School about his experiences as a child.
• His book, ... Columbus, is a collection of stories from his life.

He was the voice of the famous chief Sitting Bull in the documentary Sitting Bull: A Stone in My Heart. He is also the subject of a documentary about his own life, called Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle.

He is the father of the poet nila northSun.