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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2002

The San Francisco Chronicle profiles Adam Nordwall, a Red Lake Ojibwe man known for his unique brand of Indian activism.

Nordwall injected humor into his political protests. "It's called serious joke medicine," he tells the paper.

During a 1968 Columbus Day celebration in San Francisco, he played the Indian who "welcomed" Columbus to the shores. At the precise moment in the ceremony, he flipped off the toupee -- "scalped" -- of the Italian man portraying the explorer.

In 1973, Nordwall went to Italy in full regalia, stepping off the plane and proclaiming he discovered the country. He was invited to the Vatican but instead of kissing Pope Paul's ring as is customary, he offered his ring.

"There's this gasp," Nordwall told the paper. "But the pope broke the ice. He broke into a grin and clasped my hand."

Nordwall is 73 and lives on the Paiute-Shoshone in Fallon, Nevada.

Get the Story:
Adam Fortunate Eagle Nordwall Bay Area's trickster grandfather of radical Indian movement (The San Francisco Chronicle 10/21)

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