Adam Fortunate Eagle
Encyclopedia
Adam Fortunate Eagle hereditary member of the Ojibwa Nation, is a Native American activist and was the principal organizer of the 1969-71 occupation of Alcatraz Island
by "Indians of All Tribes."
Nordwall began to seriously plan the takeover of Alcatraz and he met with Richard Oakes, a local student activist, at a Halloween party at Tim Findley's house in 1969. He proposed the date of November 9 and Oakes agreed to get as many students as he could. Nordwall took care of providing transportation to the island. However on the date none of the ships were there and the press were wary of the Indians all dressed up in their tribal wear. Nordwall found a captain who seemed interested in the events of the day and talked him into providing transportation. He agreed but said he would not dock on Alcatraz, to this Nordwall agreed. Once near shore, Richard Oakes seized the moment and jumped overboard, followed by a few of his fellow students. Nordwall stayed behind and watched as Oakes and his band struggled to make it to shore. The captain returned to shore a little while later.
Nordwall was not satisfied with just having been around the island and wanted to go back. Oakes and his fellow students were returned by the Coast Guard, and Nordwall asked if they wanted to give it another go that night. So once again Nordwall, Oakes and some two dozen Indians set off for Alcatraz. As they approached stormy weather and a watchdog caused the captain to become wary. Richard Oakes and three women managed to get off, Nordwall was left on the ship with the remaining Indians. On the day of the actual takeover Nordwall was out of town, but on Thanksgiving he came riding across the bay standing on the prow of his ship exactly like George Washington. Although he never lived on the island Nordwall helped from the shores and was able to get assistance to those on the island and keep the press reporting on the occupation while at the same time bringing to light the plight of the Native Americans. Nordwall was still active in Native American affairs after the Alcatraz occupation. He served mostly as a liaison between the Bay Area Council and the press.
- Miami News, 23 September 1973
, an American Indian spiritual center, an Indian center of ecology, and a great Indian training school, none of which came to be on the island.
While the occupation of Alcatraz seemed a failure on the surface, the federal policy of termination of all tribes ended in 1971, and self-determination
became the new policy. Many consider the Alcatraz occupation the beginning of the "Red Power" movement. Most recently, Fortunate Eagle performed the voice of Sitting Bull
in the feature-length documentary, "Sitting Bull: A Stone in My Heart" currently available on DVD at amazon.com with more information about the film at http://lillimar.com/. He is also the subject of a new feature-length documentary called "Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle," available on DVD at amazon.com and online streaming at http://contrarywarrior.filmbinder.com/, and has recently completed a book on his experiences as an Indian boarding school titled "Pipestone: "My Life in An Indian Boarding School" published by Oklahoma University Press. The book is widely available and is also on amazon.com.
He is the father of poet nila northSun
.
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
by "Indians of All Tribes."
Early life
Born on the Red Lake Native American Reservation in 1929, Nordwall was the son of a Swedish man and Chippewa Woman. At the age of five, his father died and left his mother no choice but to send all of her children away to Boarding School. He took advantage of his time at the school and improved many skills that would help him later in life as well as escaping the Depression, famine, and disease that were running rampant on reservations at the time. He attended the Haskell Institute in Kansas where he met his future wife and Shoshone Indian, Bobbie.Time in San Francisco
After marrying his wife Bobbie, the Nordwalls moved to San Francisco in 1951. Nordwall worked as a licensed termite inspector and by the late 1960s he owned his own company called the First American Termite Company. Although living a comfortable life Nordwall felt that his family and himself needed to learn and discover more about who they were as Native Americans. He became more involved in local Indian affairs and became chairman of the United Bay Area Council of American Indian Affairs, Inc. It was at this time that he proposed the takeover of Alcatraz.Nordwall began to seriously plan the takeover of Alcatraz and he met with Richard Oakes, a local student activist, at a Halloween party at Tim Findley's house in 1969. He proposed the date of November 9 and Oakes agreed to get as many students as he could. Nordwall took care of providing transportation to the island. However on the date none of the ships were there and the press were wary of the Indians all dressed up in their tribal wear. Nordwall found a captain who seemed interested in the events of the day and talked him into providing transportation. He agreed but said he would not dock on Alcatraz, to this Nordwall agreed. Once near shore, Richard Oakes seized the moment and jumped overboard, followed by a few of his fellow students. Nordwall stayed behind and watched as Oakes and his band struggled to make it to shore. The captain returned to shore a little while later.
Nordwall was not satisfied with just having been around the island and wanted to go back. Oakes and his fellow students were returned by the Coast Guard, and Nordwall asked if they wanted to give it another go that night. So once again Nordwall, Oakes and some two dozen Indians set off for Alcatraz. As they approached stormy weather and a watchdog caused the captain to become wary. Richard Oakes and three women managed to get off, Nordwall was left on the ship with the remaining Indians. On the day of the actual takeover Nordwall was out of town, but on Thanksgiving he came riding across the bay standing on the prow of his ship exactly like George Washington. Although he never lived on the island Nordwall helped from the shores and was able to get assistance to those on the island and keep the press reporting on the occupation while at the same time bringing to light the plight of the Native Americans. Nordwall was still active in Native American affairs after the Alcatraz occupation. He served mostly as a liaison between the Bay Area Council and the press.
Discovery of Italy
"An interesting switch was pulled yesterday by Adam Nordwall, an american Chippewa chief. As he descended his plane from California dressed in full tribal regalia, Nordwall announced in the name of the American Indian people that he was taking possession of Italy 'by right of discovery' in the same way Christopher Columbus did in America. 'I proclaim this day the day of discovery of Italy,' said Nordwall. 'What right did Columbus have to discover America when it had already been inhabited for thousands of years? The same right I now have to come to Italy and proclaim the discovery of your country."- Miami News, 23 September 1973
Works
He wrote "The Alcatraz Proclamation to the Great White Father and his People," which states that the goal of the occupiers was to create a center for Native American studiesNative American Studies
Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...
, an American Indian spiritual center, an Indian center of ecology, and a great Indian training school, none of which came to be on the island.
While the occupation of Alcatraz seemed a failure on the surface, the federal policy of termination of all tribes ended in 1971, and self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
became the new policy. Many consider the Alcatraz occupation the beginning of the "Red Power" movement. Most recently, Fortunate Eagle performed the voice of Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
in the feature-length documentary, "Sitting Bull: A Stone in My Heart" currently available on DVD at amazon.com with more information about the film at http://lillimar.com/. He is also the subject of a new feature-length documentary called "Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle," available on DVD at amazon.com and online streaming at http://contrarywarrior.filmbinder.com/, and has recently completed a book on his experiences as an Indian boarding school titled "Pipestone: "My Life in An Indian Boarding School" published by Oklahoma University Press. The book is widely available and is also on amazon.com.
He is the father of poet nila northSun
Nila northSun
is a Native American poet and tribal historian, one of the best-known figures in the Native American Renaissance. Her gritty, realistic poems about life both on and off the reservation have made her one of the most widely read of all Native American poets....
.