CONTRARY WARRIOR recounts the life and work of Native American artist, activist, author and teacher, Adam Fortunate Eagle. 

Laurence M. Hauptman, the distinguished professor of history at SUNY New Paltz, best sums up the documentary’s subject:

“Adam Fortunate Eagle is a prominent Native American artist, author and activist who has helped shape the modern American Indian world. Born on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota, he attended the federal Indian boarding school at Pipestone Minnesota. In the 1950s he moved to California where he soon became a successful businessman, artist and leader of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Native American community. Fortunate Eagle was the planner of the takeover of Alcatraz, an occupation that is a major event in the modern history of Native Americans...he was the main figure behind the scenes in formulating strategies and negotiating with federal officials sent by President Nixon. The University of Oklahoma Press has published his book on these events. He has lectured at many colleges and universities throughout the United States. Because of his achievements, Fortunate Eagle was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the State University of New York. He has also won regional, national and international recognition for his art, especially his work in pipestone, and he was featured on the cover of Native People’s Magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution.”