A Contrary, in some Native American cultures, is a person who adopts behavior deliberately the opposite of other tribal members.
[1]: 2 The Lakota heyoka (heyókȟa "sacred clown"), are the traditional contraries in the Oceti Sakowin (Očhéthi Šakówiŋ).
Unlike the clowns, the special role of the Contraries has not been traditionally restricted to brief performances, ceremonies or war preparations.
John Plant examined the ethnological phenomena of contrary behavior, particularly in the tribes of the North American Plains Indians.
[2]: 11 In addition to the Contraries and the ceremonial clowns, many Plains tribes have recognized certain persons having the role of "reverse" warriors.