It is important to note that the information provided is public, and each individual is responsible for verifying the sources. All links provided on this site are for informational purposes only.

The site’s owner makes no representations of the accuracy or completeness of any information found by following any link. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

American Indian or Alaska Native

The United States government defines an American Indian or Alaska Native as someone who:

1. Has a significant amount of blood of the original peoples of North and South America,
2. Has a strong connection to their tribe, enough to be considered a member for criminal jurisdiction purposes, and/or
3. Is a member or affiliate of a federally recognized tribe.

Degree of Indian Blood and Recognition

As a general principle, an Indian is a person who is of some degree Indian blood AND is recognized as an Indian by a Tribe and/or the United States.

Department of Justice, Frequently Asked Questions about Native Americans

Legal Definition of Indian in Canada

The legal definition of “Indian” in Canada refers to First Nations people eligible for registration under the Indian Act.

You may be entitled to be registered if:

1. at least one of your parents is registered or entitled to be registered under subsection 6(1) of the Indian Act,
2. both of your parents are registered or entitled to be registered under subsection 6(1) or 6(2) of the Indian Act.

Government of Canada, Indigenous Services Canada

Tribal Enrollment

The criterion varies from tribe to tribe, so uniform membership requirements do not exist.

• Two common requirements for membership are lineal descendency from someone named on the tribe’s base roll or relationship to a tribal member who descended from someone named on the base roll.
• Other conditions, such as tribal blood quantum, tribal residency, or continued contact with the tribe, are common.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Tribal Enrollment Process

A Pretendian is a person who falsely claims an Indigenous (American Indian, Native American, Native Alaskan, First Nations, Innuit) identity by:

1. Vaguely naming a group or groups of Native American or First Nations communities or a region (e.g., “Ojibwe” or “Sioux”);
2. Switching the named group or groups of Native American or First Nations communities, depending on what is financially beneficial or when previous lies are exposed,
3. By settling in new communities or spaces, bringing a co-opted narrative, or seeking new narratives,
4. Claiming to be a descendant of a person a minimum of three or more generations past as they do not name someone recent,
5. Claiming a Native family adopted them,
6. Marrying into a Native family and having Native children, and also, but rarely,
7. Claiming to be a citizen of a Native American or First Nations tribal nation.

A Race Shifter is a person who falsely claims an Indigenous (American Indian, Native American, Native Alaskan, First Nations, Innuit) identity when financially beneficial or when previous lies are exposed. They will bounce around from one Indigenous identity to another.

These people may be Indigenous themselves, yet are not connected to their community or fetishize an identity.

A Shaman is a person who falsely claims an Indigenous (American Indian, Native American, Native Alaskan, First Nations, Innuit) spirituality and whose brand is that of a healer. Each Indigenous nation has terms in their language for healers and ceremonial community members and will use them, not “Shaman.” 

Beware of anyone who claims to be a Shaman as they are a Pretendian and are harmful to the community. They practice pan-Indigenous medicines that they have no relationship with. They attempt to gain power and control through financial and sexual means.

• Merriam Webster, Shaman

“a priest or priestess who uses magic for the purpose of curing the sick, divining the hidden, and controlling events”

• Britannica, Shamanism

“The term shamanism comes from the Manchu-Tungus word šaman. The noun is formed from the verb ša- ‘to know’; thus, a shaman is literally “one who knows.”

As its etymology implies, the term applies in the strictest sense only to the religious systems and phenomena of the peoples of northern Asia and the Ural-Altaic, such as the Khanty and Mansi, Samoyed, Tungus, Yukaghir, Chukchi, and Koryak.”

• Wikipedia, Shamanism (Neoshamism)

“In the 20th century, non-Indigenous Westerners involved in countercultural movements, such as hippies and the New Age created modern magico-religious practices influenced by their ideas of various Indigenous religions, creating what has been termed neoshama ism or the neoshamanic movement. It has affected the development of many neopagan practices, as well as faced a backlash and accusations of cultural appropriation, exploitation and misrepresentation when outside observers have tried to practice the ceremonies of, or represent, centuries-old cultures to which they do not belong.“

Along with asking your name, Native Folx want to feel the safety and comfort of who they are around by initially asking: 

• “Where are you from?”
• “Who is your family?”
• “What tribe are you?”

If someone uses vague terms or can’t name a family member or friend, you may be in the presence of a Pretendian. Read How To Spot a Pretendian.

After finding out that you are tribal, Native Folx will share,

• “Do you know [enter name] from [enter tribe, nation, reservation, reserve, or community?”
• “I went to school with your auntie.” | “I went to school with your dad.”
• “I played ball with your cousin.” | “I played ball with your dad.”
• “I have been to your pow wow.”
• “I bought some of your aunty’s beadwork.”

Two Degrees of Native Aunty is a concept that suggests that any two Native people are two or fewer acquaintance links apart.

Everyone knows everyone, and we vouch for each other by existing and the work we do in our communities. If a Native Aunty does not verify someone, this should cause alarm.

Pretendians will exhibit characteristics, actions, and language that expose their lies and deceit. 

• Pretendians are vague in stating their tribal affiliation and use terms such as “Ojibwe,” “Sioux,” or “Cherokee.”
• Pretendians have not had a live experience or have been to a reservation or reserve. If they do state a live experience, it is a stolen narrative.
• Pretendians tend to become “Native” during college.
• Pretendians become “Native” after taking a DNA test.
• Pretendians live in affluent areas or neighborhoods and never travel to the Rez or “hood.”
• Pretendians tend to keep “friends”* who have questionable origins or have Native “friends” by holding power or financial resources over them.
• Pretendians will seek, mine, and adopt Native Peoples’ narratives. 
• Pretendians will claim that they are a Shaman.
• Pretendians will navigate the arts and academic world and rarely go into the community. Non-Natives run the arts, academic, and non-profit worlds and will not question Pretendians’ false identities. If they go into the community, it is in the safety of other Pretendians or sympathizers to extract resources. 
• Pretendians are the loudest, dominate space, center work around themselves, and rarely give community credit or share a platform. 
• Pretendians weaponize language to develop their identity, as they have no lived experiences.
• Pretendians never name a mother, father, auntie, uncle, or cousin. They have a vague great-great-grandmother that they attach their history to. If they are bold enough to name someone recent, that is because it is a stolen narrative. 
• Pretendians will not adequately answer direct and non-leading questions. Pretendians will use leading questions to vaguely piggyback on your words or smile and nod in approval; they do not add to a group discussion with depth. When they do share, it is a stolen narrative.

*” Friends” is stylized this way to note that Pretendians do not love themselves (white supremacy) and, therefore, are incapable of having friends. Pretendians have to believe their lies and need someone to practice them.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from a Pretendian.

• Identify a Pretendian. Don’t fault yourself for being fooled by a Pretendian, but take immediate action to protect yourself in the moment and from being harmed by other Pretendians.
• Disconnect or have impersonal communications. Your personal lived experiences are yours only. A Pretendian will mine and extract your experiences to build their identity and profit.
• Share. Talk to a family member, partner, or friend about your experiences with the Pretendinan. Dealing with a Pretendian affects our mental well-being. In addition, Pretendians will recruit other Native people to protect their false identity, holding power or financial resources over them.
• Document. Note your experiences with Pretendians and protect your resources and community. Pretendians will bounce around to the next person who will believe their lies and seek new narratives to co-opt.

There is irreparable harm that Pretendians will inflict on Tribal Members and Descendants. 

• Pretendians will steal lived narratives and attach themselves to a cause based on harm they never experienced or will understand. [Community]
• Pretendians will steal grants, funding, scholarships, internships, and opportunities from Native American and First Nations students. [Education]
• Pretendians will steal grants, funding, scholarships, internships, and opportunities from Native American and First Nations artists. [Art]
• Pretendians will steal jobs and projects from Native American and First Nation teachers, artists, researchers, and community members. [Professional]
• Pretendians will steal a community member’s last name and change their non-Native children’s names. [Community]

You can take action against Pretendians.

• Report the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 violation.

Indians Arts and Crafts Act (IACA), Should I Report a Potential Violation?

“While the beauty, quality, and collectability of authentic Indian arts and craftwork make each piece a unique reflection of our American heritage, it is important that buyers be aware that fraudulent Indian arts and crafts compete daily with authentic Indian arts and crafts in the nationwide marketplace. This consumer fraud not only harms the buyers, it also erodes the overall Indian arts and crafts market and the economic and cultural livelihood of Indian artists, craftspeople, and tribes. It is also against the law! It is a violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA).”

• Stop giving Pretendians a platform to continue harming the community.

Stop hiring, consulting, referring, or receiving funding from a Pretendian. Their benefit is more significant than the work you can do with the acquired resources. They will not credit your work and are there to add the community’s work to their resume. 

Pretendism is rooted in white supremacy. Pretendians continuously need validation and have a white savior mentality. They must tell you how great they are and rarely have two-way conversations.

pretendian country today (Indianz.com Substack)

New Age Fraud and Plastic Shamans

New Age Fraud and Plastic Shamans Forum

New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans (New Age Fraud on Facebook)

Tribal Alliance Against Fraud (TAAF)

Race Shifters *not accessible, last capture August 30, 2023 [Wayback Machine Capture]

#Race Shifters (TikTok)

Global News (Pretendians tag)

FakeIndians: Ancestor Stealing

Wikipedia, Pretendians

NPR, The race-shifting of ‘Pretendians’

NY POST, Activist makes list to bust imposters claiming to be Native American

NPR, Playing Pretendian

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, Tribal leaders in Wisconsin warn of ‘pretendians’ after Madison arts leader accused of pretending to be Native American resigns UW residency [Kay LeClaire]

Global News, What are ‘pretendians’ and how are they causing ‘severe harm’ to Indigenous communities?

The Indigenous Foundation, Pretendians and their Impacts on Indigenous Communities

The New York Times, Doubts Over Indigenous Identity in Academia Spark ‘Pretendian’ Claims

Independent, Meet the ‘race fakers’ — and the people tracking them down

Pretendian Country Today, Pretendian Country Today: ‘My dad is a fake Native American’

NPR, 2 artists have been charged with faking Native American heritage [Lewis Anthony Rath and Jerry Chris Van Dyke (aka Jerry Witten)]

The Ubyssey, Dr. Amie Wolf fired, sends threatening email amid Indigenous heritage scrutiny [Dr. Amy Wolf]

VOANews, Native, First Nations Scholars: Fake Indians Prevalent in Higher Education [Susan Taffee Reed, Andrea Smith]

nhpr.org, Dartmouth: Susan Taffe Reed Out As Native American Program Director [Susan Taffee Reed]

Name: Gina Adams
Field: Professor and Artist
Claim: “Ojibwa Anishinaabe and Lakota descent of Waabonaquot of White Earth Reservation in Minnesota.”
Institutions: Naropa University (previous) Profile [Wayback Machine] and Emily Carr University (resigned)
Photos:

Links:

Emly Car University, Emily Carr University Hires Four New Permanent Indigenous Faculty Members [Gina Adams, Hire statement]

MaClean’s, The Curious Case of Gina Adams: A “Pretendian” investigation [Gina Adams]

Hyperallergic, Artist Accused of Faking Indigenous Identity Quits University Post [Gina Adams]

Inside Higher Ed, An Alleged ‘Pretendian’ Professor Resigns [Gina Adams]

Name: Joseph Boyden
Field: Author and Professor – @joseph.boyden, Sweetwater Writers Workshop
Online: Sweetwater Writers Workshop, Wikipedia
Claim: Mi’kmaq, Métis, Nipmuc, and Ojibway (at different times)
Institution: Northern College (1995-1997), University of New Orleans (1998-2010), University of British Columbia (2013-2015)
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2

Links:

The Globe and Mail, The making of Joseph Boyden [Joseph Boyden]

APTN National News, Author Joseph Boyden’s shape-shifting Indigenous identity [Joseph Boyden]

Vice, Joseph Boyden’s Apology and the Strange History of ‘Pretendians’ [Joseph Boyden, Archie “Grey Owl” Belaney, Elizabeth Warren]

“One serious caveat though, Boyden only agreed to speak to the Globe on the condition it was with Books Editor Mark Medley, someone he’s known for years. His interviewer at the CBC was also a “friend.””

CBC News, Joseph Boyden sorry ‘for taking too much of the airtime’ on Indigenous issues [Joseph Boyden] *Interview by friend

The Globe and Mail, Boyden admits to mistakes, backs down as indigenous spokesperson [Joseph Boyden] *Interview by friend

Vice, What Colour Is Your Beadwork, Joseph Boyden? [Joseph Boyden]

NewsWire.ca, Statement by Joseph Boyden [Joseph Boyden]

Maclean’s, My name is Joseph Boyden [Joseph Boyden]

“I, along with others in my family who were so inclined, have spit into plastic tubes and sent our mucus off for DNA testing. And guess what? The verdict is: we’re mutts. Celtic DNA. Check. Native American DNA. Check. DNA from the Arctic.”

Global News, Author Joseph Boyden sorry for becoming a ‘go-to’ on indigenous issues [Joseph Boyden]

TRIGGER WARNING: VIDEO OF WHITE MAN TEARS

Youtube, Joseph Boyden – We Matter Campaign [Joseph Boyden]

Global News, What are ‘pretendians’ and how are they causing ‘severe harm’ to Indigenous communities? [Joseph Boyden, Carrie Bourassa, Michelle Latimer, Ellen Turpel-Lafond]

Name: Ward LeRoy Churchill
Field: Academics, Activist
Institution: Professor, University of Colorado-Boulder
Claim: Cherokee, Muskogee, Creek
Actual: White
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

Reason, 5 Other Fake Indians Besides Elizabeth Warren [Elizabeth Warren, Iron Eyes Cody, Ward Churchill]

Mother Jones, “I Never Claimed I Was F***ing Sitting Bull” [Ward Churchill]

Wikipedia, Ward Churchill [Ward Churchill]

“In the early 1990s at Santa Fe Indian Market, Churchill protested the passage of the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act.”

Art in America, Issues & Commentary: Ethnic Fraud and Art [Jimmie Durham, Ward Churchill, Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz]

Name: b: Espera Oscar de Corti
Alias: Iron Eyes Cody
Field: Actor
Claim: Cherokee, Cree, and named several different tribes over the years
Actual: Italian
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2

Links:

Reason, 5 Other Fake Indians Besides Elizabeth Warren [Elizabeth Warren, Iron Eyes Cody, Ward Churchill]

ATI, He Was Hollywood’s Favorite Native American, But Iron Eyes Cody Wasn’t Native At All [Iron Eyes Cody]

Zocalo Public Space, THE “CRYING INDIAN” AD THAT FOOLED THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT [Iron Eyes Cody]

Wikipedia, Iron Eyes Cody [Iron Eyes Cody]

Snopes.com, Iron Eyes Cody [Iron Eyes Cody]

Name: Patrick Del Percio
Field: Academic
Institution: Lector of Cherokee language in the Department of Linguistics at Yale University
Online: Yale University
Claim: Cherokee
Actual: Italian, Irish
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2

Links:

Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, Patrick Del Percio (Note: Press Release and Fan Chart provided)

“Del Percio describes themself as of “Cherokee/Italian/Irish descent” and as a “Indian/Italian boy.” They claim that they trace their Cherokee descent through their maternal grandmother. Del Percio has never provided evidence to support this claim. TAAF genealogists have carefully explored Del Percio’s ancestry and have found no evidence that they have ancestors who were Cherokee or were members or any other American Indian Tribe. Their putative Cherokee maternal grandmother descends from White settlers who were living in or near Illinois. Patrick Del Percio is White.”

Yale University, Patrick Del Percio, Faculty Profile

“In 2020, they became a co-founder of the Center for Native Futures, a space to perpetuate Native art and presence in the city of Chicago and beyond.”

Yale News, Lector of Cherokee is Yale’s first faculty member in an Indigenous language

“They hadn’t been raised around Cherokee culture, but knowing that their family heritage did include Cherokee, Del Percio was compelled to learn more about it. (Del Percio is not an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.)”

Name: Grace Dillon née Laponsie [Lapensée]
Online: Portland State University – Professor, Indigenous Nations Studies – Liberal Arts & Sciences, Portland State University
Field: Academic
Claim: “Anishinaabe”
Actual: Irish
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2
Comments: 1. See Elisabeth Lapensée (daughter), 2. Credited for coining the term Indigenous Futurism

Links:

“Grace Dillon and Elizabeth Lapensee were recently covered on “Fake Indians” blog. The blog post contains a link to a genealogical report that was commissioned by anonymous employees of Michigan State University (MSU) on 3 MSU faculty with questionable claims to Native American ancestry: Dylan Miner, Elizabeth Lapensee, and Malea Powell. I do not know who publishes Fake Indians blog or the writer of the genealogical report submitted to MSU. Their work on Elizabeth Lapensee appears to match the work done by Diana and myself in this thread.

Link to download MSU report: https://drive.proton.me/urls/G76687T8AW#Sus8ahOjP2iW

Link to Fake Indians blog post: https://ancestorstealing.blogspot.com/2023/10/little-big-wasicu-white-pretendian-lies.html“

Newagefraud.org, Topic: Grace Dillon

–

“Here is the submitted report to Michigan State University concerning Grace Dillion’s Daughter. There was no connection to the claimed tribes.

For over thirty years, Michigan State University administrators have unethically allowed people who are not American Indians to claim American Indian ancestry as part of an institutional policy of allowing people to self-identify as Native. That institutional policy has opened the door to Pretendians, or fake Indians, who have no direct ancestral claims to the American Indian or Indigenous communities they claim. Further, those false claims have been maintained and supported through public website sites, university media, and promotional materials produced by the university. This means the university has been complicit with false claims of American Indian and Indigenous identity on the part of people who represent the university in classrooms, in public spaces and events, and in administrative decision-making on matters important to American Indian people and communities. Further, those falsely claiming Native ancestry and community belonging have profited, advanced, and been put in positions of leadership and authority based on those false claims. When university administrators were apprised of the false claims of the people included in this report and on the greater issues of the ways university policy allows for fraudulent claims of American Indian identity to proliferate at the university, the university administration at the top levels chose to support people making false claims.

The following report offers three cases of people who have made false claims about their identity while working at MSU. To be sure, there are many more, and those will come to light in future reports at this site.”

FakeIndians (ancestorstealing), Little “Big” Wašíču, White Pretendian Lies and Manipulation. Tell Me a (Tall Tale) Story

Name: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Field: Author and Academic
Online: Beacon Press, Reddirtsite.com (wayback machine)
Claim: Cherokee, Born of “part-Indian mother”
Actual: Scottish, Irish
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2
Comment: Married writer Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo).

Links:

1- “In 2021, on C-SPAN2, she said: “I never had ties with anything. It’s pretty certain that probably my mother was not Cherokee. … There’s no tracing it. … I certainly would not call myself Cherokee.””

2- “Dunbar claims her mother was of Cherokee descent. Dunbar-Ortiz initially self-identified as having Cheyenne ancestry, but she subsequently acknowledged that she is white. She has since claimed to be of Cherokee descent, and that her mother denied her Native ancestry after marrying into a white family.”

Wikipedia, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

–

“Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz claimed to be Cheyenne when she worked with Durham in AIM and IITC. She subsequently acknowledged being white. Now, most unfortunately, she identifies as Cherokee.”

Art in America, Issues & Commentary: Ethnic Fraud and Art [Jimmie Durham, Ward Churchill, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz]

–

“But I didn’t grow up really with any native heritage.”

The Progressive Magazine, ‘The Land is the Body of the Native People’: Talking with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz]

–

“…denounced as a fraud pretending to be Native American. I never knew back then where to draw the ling between being identifies as Indian and being in solidarity with Indian aspirations, and felt more conflict in dealign with nonIndians…”

Google Books, Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz]

–

“Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother.”

Reddirtsite.com, LOADED: A DISARMING HISTORY
City Lights Books, January 2018 *not accessible, capture June 18, 2018 [Wayback Machine Capture]

Name: Jimmie Durham
Field: Artist
Claim: Cherokee
Actual: Caucasian
Online:
Photo: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

Wikipedia: Jimmie Durham

“He long claimed to be Cherokee but that claim has been denied by tribal representatives: “Durham is neither enrolled nor eligible for citizenship in any of the three federally-recognized and historical Cherokee Tribes: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation.” He had “no known ties to any Cherokee community”.“

Art in America, Issues & Commentary: Ethnic Fraud and Art [Jimmie Durham, Ward Churchill, Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz]

Names: Amira & Nadya Gill (sisters), Karima Manji (mother)
Field: Scammers
Claim: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

DHCanada, Twin sisters and mother charged with fraud for falsely claiming Inuit status [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

BBC News, Canadian mother and twins charged with pretending to be Inuit [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

CBC News, Nunavut RCMP charge Gill sisters, mother with fraud for claiming Inuit status [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

Global News, Gill twins, mother charged with fraud over Inuit ancestry claims [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

Kingstonist, Gill sisters, mother face fraud charges [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

TikTok, Inuit gill sisters fraud [Amira and Nadya Gill and Karima Manji]

Name: Elizabeth Hoover
Field: Academic
Institution(s): University of California – Berkely
Online:
Claim: Mohawk and Mi’kmaq
Actual:
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

The Mercury News, ‘I am a White person:’ UC Berkeley scholar apologizes for wrongly claiming to be Native American her ‘whole life’ [Elizabeth Hoover]

NBC News, Berkeley professor apologizes for false Indigenous identity [Elizabeth Hoover]

Community Statement, Collective statement on Elizabeth Hoover [Elizabeth Hoover]

Name: Elizabeth LaPensée (LaPonsie)
Field: Academic
Institution(s): Michigan State University – Assistant Professor – Media & Information – Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
Online: www.elizabethlapensee.com
Claim: “Anishinaabe”, “Métis”
Actual: Irish
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3
Comment: See Grace Dillon (mother)

Links:

“Grace Dillon and Elizabeth Lapensee were recently covered on “Fake Indians” blog. The blog post contains a link to a genealogical report that was commissioned by anonymous employees of Michigan State University (MSU) on 3 MSU faculty with questionable claims to Native American ancestry: Dylan Miner, Elizabeth Lapensee, and Malea Powell. I do not know who publishes Fake Indians blog or the writer of the genealogical report submitted to MSU. Their work on Elizabeth Lapensee appears to match the work done by Diana and myself in this thread.

Link to download MSU report: https://drive.proton.me/urls/G76687T8AW#Sus8ahOjP2iW

Link to Fake Indians blog post: https://ancestorstealing.blogspot.com/2023/10/little-big-wasicu-white-pretendian-lies.html“

Newagefraud.org, Topic: Grace Dillon

–

“Here is the submitted report to Michigan State University concerning Grace Dillion’s Daughter. There was no connection to the claimed tribes.

For over thirty years, Michigan State University administrators have unethically allowed people who are not American Indians to claim American Indian ancestry as part of an institutional policy of allowing people to self-identify as Native. That institutional policy has opened the door to Pretendians, or fake Indians, who have no direct ancestral claims to the American Indian or Indigenous communities they claim. Further, those false claims have been maintained and supported through public website sites, university media, and promotional materials produced by the university. This means the university has been complicit with false claims of American Indian and Indigenous identity on the part of people who represent the university in classrooms, in public spaces and events, and in administrative decision-making on matters important to American Indian people and communities. Further, those falsely claiming Native ancestry and community belonging have profited, advanced, and been put in positions of leadership and authority based on those false claims. When university administrators were apprised of the false claims of the people included in this report and on the greater issues of the ways university policy allows for fraudulent claims of American Indian identity to proliferate at the university, the university administration at the top levels chose to support people making false claims.

The following report offers three cases of people who have made false claims about their identity while working at MSU. To be sure, there are many more, and those will come to light in future reports at this site.”

FakeIndians (ancestorstealing), Little “Big” Wašíču, White Pretendian Lies and Manipulation. Tell Me a (Tall Tale) Story

Name: Michelle Latimer
Field: Filmmaker
Online: Website, IMDB
Claim: Algonquin & Metis
Actual:
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

Global News, What are ‘pretendians’ and how are they causing ‘severe harm’ to Indigenous communities? [Joseph Boyden, Carrie Bourassa, Michelle Latimer, Ellen Turpel-Lafond]

Global News, Indigenous filmmaker is calling for fines and jail time for those falsely claiming to be Indigenous [Michelle Latimer]

Medium, In my own words [Michell Latimer]

Name: Maria Louise Cruz
Alias: Sacheen Littlefeather
Field: Actress, Activism
Claim: White Mountain Apache and Yaqui
Actual:
Photo:

Links:

San Francisco Journal, On Sacheen Littlefeather, Pretendians and what it means to be Native American [Sacheen Littlefeather]

San Francisco Journal, Sacheen Littlefeather was a Native American icon. Her sisters say she was an ethnic fraud [Sacheen Littlefeather]

NY Post, Why ‘Pretendians’ are bad for Native Americans [Sacheen Littlefeather, Elizabeth Warren, Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

Name: Liam McDonald
Alias: Opliam
Field: Author and Musician
Institutions: Sky People Entertainment
Online: @OpliamMusic, Sky People Entertainment, @SkyPeopleEnt
Claim: “Mohawk” (original one-word claim), “Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve,” then “St.Regis Mohawk tribe of NY (Akwesasne)”
Actual:
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

“The Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe, St. Regis Tribe of Mohawks, and the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory have not publicly claimed Liam McDonald or his family as members of their communities; nor do they practice an effort of claiming people who have distant ancestry to their communities, a claim that again Liam McDonald has failed to prove.”

Google Doc, A Commentary on Liam McDonald’s Claim & Evidence of Mohawk/Native American heritage

Digital Music News, The Power of Music: OPLIAM on Why Indigenous Youth Need Positive Musical Influences

“Liam McDonald, also known as OPLIAM, knows the importance of a good musical influence all too well. Having grown up in Minnesota, the ancestors on his father’s side are Mohawk from Quebec, Canada originally, but were enrolled with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York (Akwesasne). He has been in the music industry since he was a teen and he’s released numerous albums that embrace his cultural heritage.”

Indianz.substack.com, Meet your favorite Fauxdenosaunee musician [Liam McDonald]

Indianz.substack.com, ‘Liam was not interested…’ [Liam McDonald]

Raceshifters.com, Liam McDonald shamed off the stage during his own album release party [Liam McDonald, Wayback Machine Capture]

Opliam, About [Liam McDonald]

• July 30, 2024, “OPLIAM is a Mohawk descendant; his family originates from Kahnawake and were enrolled tribal members of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (Akwesasne). He remains deeply rooted in his identity. OPLIAM continues to explore and share his cultural heritage through both his music and his writing.“
• October 29, 2023, “With his Native American heritage on his father’s side, OPLIAM remains deeply connected to his roots as both a musician and writer.“
• April 5, 2023, “On his father’s side, OPLIAM is Native American, and as a musician and writer, he has never lost sight of his roots.“
• December 9, 2022. “OPLIAM is of Mohawk descent, learn more about his Indigeneity and family history here.“
• July 6, 2022. “OPLIAM is Native American on his father’s side and has never forgotten where he comes from as a musician. OPLIAM is of Mohawk descent, learn more about his Indigeneity and family history here.“
• March 27, 2022, “OPLIAM is Native American on his father’s side and has never forgotten where he comes from as a musician. OPLIAM’s family is Mohawk, originally from Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve outside of Montreal, Quebec.“
• April 21, 2021, “OPLIAM is Native American on his father’s side and has never forgotten where he comes from as a musician. OPLIAM’s family is Mohawk, one of the six Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nations, originating from Kahnawake Mohawk reserve outside of Montreal, Quebec.“
• June 15, 2019, “OPLIAM is American Indian on his fathers’ side and has never forgotten where he comes from as a musician.“

Name: Dylan Miner
Field: Academic, Art
Institution(s): Michigan State University Dean & Professor, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities
Online: dylanminer.com
Claim: Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO)
Actual: French, Eighth-generation descendant of Josephte Pilon’s mother, a Cree woman born in the 1760s
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 
Comment: 8th generation from 1/1 is 1/128. 8th generation from 1/2 is 1/256.

Links:

“• Dr. Miner’s biography on the MSU website indicates that he’s Métis and a registered citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario.

• Dr. Miner is an eighth-generation descendant of Josephte Pilon’s mother, a Cree woman born in 1760s.

• Five generations of Dr. Miner’s ancestors in Ontario and Michigan were identified as white in public records between 1861 and 1940.”

“At no point in 79 years of public record-keeping in Canada and the United States between 1861 and 1940 were any of Dr. Miner’s ancestors identified as Indigenous. In fact, every time they show up in public records they were identified as white and/or of French origin, depending on the categories being used. His most recent ancestors – paternal grandparent and greatgrandparent – were exclusively identified as white between 1911 and 1940.

As such, Dr. Miner’s membership in the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) requires further explanation. According to a 2021 report on its membership, about 25% of MNO members are non-Indigenous individuals, and only about 15% have a direct ancestral connection to the Métis Nation based in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The fact that the MNO formally recognized the “Historic Georgian Bay Métis Community” in 2017, through which Dr. Miner’s membership is based, has put it at odds with the Métis Nation. While the MNO continues to be recognized by the government, its history of lax membership criteria and breech of Métis Nation citizenship rules have severely impacted its political claims.”

FakeIndians (ancestorstealing), Little “Big” Wašíču, White Pretendian Lies and Manipulation. Tell Me a (Tall Tale) Story, & Michigan State University “Pretendian” Report, December 2021*

*“The following report was conducted upon request by persons employed at Michigan State University (MSU) concerned about several faculty members’ claims to Indigenous identity.

The report includes a genealogical analysis of three people currently employed as faculty members at MSU. The appendix includes dozens of primary documents cited in the report, though hundreds more were consulted to tie individuals to each generation. Overall, we’ve found that neither Dr. Elizabeth Lapensée nor Dr. Malea Powell have any Indigenous ancestry. Dr. Dylan Miner is an eighth-generation descendant of a Cree woman from Alberta.”

–

“Grace Dillon and Elizabeth Lapensee were recently covered on “Fake Indians” blog. The blog post contains a link to a genealogical report that was commissioned by anonymous employees of Michigan State University (MSU) on 3 MSU faculty with questionable claims to Native American ancestry: Dylan Miner, Elizabeth Lapensee, and Malea Powell. I do not know who publishes Fake Indians blog or the writer of the genealogical report submitted to MSU. Their work on Elizabeth Lapensee appears to match the work done by Diana and myself in this thread.

Link to download MSU report: https://drive.proton.me/urls/G76687T8AW#Sus8ahOjP2iW

Link to Fake Indians blog post: https://ancestorstealing.blogspot.com/2023/10/little-big-wasicu-white-pretendian-lies.html“

Newagefraud.org, Topic: Grace Dillon

–

“Here is the submitted report to Michigan State University concerning Grace Dillion’s Daughter. There was no connection to the claimed tribes.

For over thirty years, Michigan State University administrators have unethically allowed people who are not American Indians to claim American Indian ancestry as part of an institutional policy of allowing people to self-identify as Native. That institutional policy has opened the door to Pretendians, or fake Indians, who have no direct ancestral claims to the American Indian or Indigenous communities they claim. Further, those false claims have been maintained and supported through public website sites, university media, and promotional materials produced by the university. This means the university has been complicit with false claims of American Indian and Indigenous identity on the part of people who represent the university in classrooms, in public spaces and events, and in administrative decision-making on matters important to American Indian people and communities. Further, those falsely claiming Native ancestry and community belonging have profited, advanced, and been put in positions of leadership and authority based on those false claims. When university administrators were apprised of the false claims of the people included in this report and on the greater issues of the ways university policy allows for fraudulent claims of American Indian identity to proliferate at the university, the university administration at the top levels chose to support people making false claims.

The following report offers three cases of people who have made false claims about their identity while working at MSU. To be sure, there are many more, and those will come to light in future reports at this site.”

FakeIndians (ancestorstealing), Little “Big” Wašíču, White Pretendian Lies and Manipulation. Tell Me a (Tall Tale) Story

Name: Margaret A. Noodin (nee: O’Donnell) *Used Peggy/Peg in childhood, used Meg in later years
Alias: Meg Aerol
Field: Author and Professor
Institutions: University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Online: Ojibwe.net
Claim: Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Metis
Actual: Irish, French, English
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

YouTube, Milwaukee’s Long History Along the Lake (14:10 to 16:15)

“I’m originally from Minnesota. I grew up hearing the language a bit. It is part of my background, and I had a sense that I should learn to speak the language of my ancestors. But I also had a lot of support from elders around me. So, I’m part of a generation that got to hear a lot of elders for sure. In Minneapolis, we still at the time when I was growing up there, had a lot of people that held classes. We had some summer camps. I certainly got to hear the language a lot. But I grew up in the city and we did not speak the language at home. It’s been 5 generations since anybody in my family was fluent in the language and then I really dedicated my life to trying to reclaim that. Our family is from Grand Portage Lake Superior Band of Chippewa but then also from the Ontario Metis.“

Pioneer Press, A big week for books: ‘New Poets of Native Nations’ among 5 works introduced

“Margaret Noodin, descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Indians, who was raised in Minnesota, and  is a teacher of Anishinaabemowin at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.”

Zimmerman’s Roadhouse, Ask me about genwa gaa ezhi-zhitaatowaad gaantaagitowaad Anishinaabeg

“ROADHOUSE What is your personal connection to Native American culture?

M. NOORI I am of mixed American ancestry including – Irish, Scots, German, Anishinaabe (MN Chippewa) and Metis

ROADHOUSE What area of Native American history/culture are you most passionate about? Why?

M. NOORI Because my ancestors used the Anishinaabe language, and because this is the place I know, I write, teach and conduct research in this area. Most importantly, I am working to raise one more generation of speakers and to provide resources for teachers of Anishinaabemowin and a critical literary presence for modern Anishinaabemowin texts.”

Detroit Free Press, Sunday, November 16, 2008, Page 139 [Paywall]

“Her Roots: Meg grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. She has ancestors who were part Minnesota Chippewa and part Métis – descendants of French explorers ad native Indians. Like many of her students, she learned Ojibwe as a second language. She didn’t start taking lessons until she was 15.”

Name Change

Chequamegonhistory.com, The 19th Ojibwe Journal of Edmund F. Ely [see Feb 7. 1847.]

“The Ambiguity of Chief Noodin…”

The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary, Noodin

Trigger Warning: Gaslighting

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Margaret Noodin (December 16, 2021 Wayback Machine Capture)

“She is not enrolled in any nation but has connections to Grand Portage and Mille Lacs Ojibwe nations and the cities of St. Cloud, Montreal and Donegal.”

Ojibwe.net, Inawendiwin (Genealogy)

“The book begins with a poem by Margaret Noodin who became the target of online forums and heightened media scrutiny in 2021 because her work with Anishinaabe languages stems from an oral history of family connections and lived experiences within existing nations rather than through the status of enrollment which she has never claimed.”

Name: Redwolf Pope
Field: Predator
Claim: Western Shoshone and Tlingit
Actual: Chinese
Photos:

Links:

About Me, Redwolf Pope

“No sheep’s clothing for me thanks

Ainga Ija (RedWolf) – Tosawi (white Knife) Western Shoshone through father. Born in Elko.

Xhaan Kaya Ghooch (RedWolf) – Teikwedi (Eagle Moiety, Brown Bear Clan) Tlingit through mother. Yakutat.”

 

 

TRIGGER WARNING: The article discusses drugging and sexual assault.

Native News Online, Who is Alleged Rapist Redwolf Pope? Turns Out He is Not American Indian After All [Redwolf Pope]

“Court documents say Pope is a member of the Tlingit tribes of the Northwest according to court documents. The Tlingit tribes of Northwest says he is not an enrolled tribal citizen. Through the years, Pope has represented himself as being a member of the Western Shoshone Tribe. There are several Shoshone tribes in America’s west. A website lists him as an attorney for the Tulalip Tribal Court in Washington state.”

 

SFADF Inmate Lookup, POPE, REDWOLF

“POPE, REDWOLF
Inmate No : 368808
Gender : Male
Race : WHITE
Height(ft.) : 5’09”
Weight(lbs.) : 190″

Name: Heather Rae Bybee
Alias: Heather Rae
Field: Film Producer
Online: Wikipedia, IMDB, Iron Circles Pictures
Claim: Cherokee
Actual: Caucasian
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4

Links:

NY Post, Why ‘Pretendians’ are bad for Native Americans [Sacheen Littlefeather, Elizabeth Warren, Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

NY Post, Hollywood’s top Native American producer is a fake, activists claim [Heather Rae [Bybee]]

TribalAllianceAgainstFrauds.org, Heather Rae Bybee [Heather Rae [Bybee]]

TheDailyBeast, The Native American Activists Exposing Celebrity ‘Race-Fakers’ [Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

“She described her mother as Cherokee, sported a tattoo of a Cherokee goddess, told the stories of Native characters in her award-winning films, and was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s Indigenous Alliance.”

Name: b: Beverley Jean Santamaria
Alias: Buffy Sainte Marie
Field: Musician
Online: buffysainte-marie.com
Claim: “Algonquin,” “Half-MicMac,” and “Cree” – “a full-blooded Algonquin Indian” [1963], “half-Micmac by birth” [1963], “born of Cree Indian parents” [1964]
In the space of those 10 months, she was referred to as Algonquin, full-blooded Algonquin, Mi’kmaq, half-Mi’kmaq and Cree.
Actual: Italian, English
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

CBC, Who is the real Buffy Sainte-Marie? [Buffy Sainte-Marie]

“In March 1963, Florida’s Fort Lauderdale News said she was “a full-blooded Algonquin Indian.” That was echoed in a New York Times article in August of that year, which called her “a young Algonquin Indian girl.”

Then, in October, the Detroit Free Press reported that “Buffy was born a Micmac (Mi’kmaq) Indian in Maine,” adding that “her Micmac name is Tsankapasa, or Dark Fawn.” Later that same month, the Boston Herald said she referred to herself as “half-Micmac by birth.”

The first reference to Sainte-Marie being Cree that CBC could locate came in December 1963, when the Vancouver Sun referred to “Cree Indian folk singer Buffy St. Marie.”

In the space of those 10 months, she was referred to as Algonquin, full-blooded Algonquin, Mi’kmaq, half-Mi’kmaq and Cree.”

The Fifth Estate (video), Investigating Buffy Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous ancestry – The Fifth Estate [Buffy Sainte-Marie]

Name: Andrea Smith
Field: Academic
Institutions: University of California, Riverside
Online: Andrea Smith Blog
Claim: Cherokee
Actual: British, Scandinavian
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2

Links:

Wikipedia, Andrea Smith (academic)

“Since at least 1991, Smith has claimed to be Cherokee. However, she has never been enrolled in a recognized Cherokee tribe, and genealogist David Cornsilk, who has said Smith hired him twice to research her claims of heritage, found no evidence of Cherokee ancestry for Smith.”

Insider Higher Ed, Professor Leaving University After Being Dubbed ‘Pretendian’ for Years [Andrea Smith]

VOANews, Native, First Nations Scholars: Fake Indians Prevalent in Higher Education [Susan Taffee Reed, Andrea Smith]

The NY Times, The Native Scholar Who Wasn’t (paywall) [Andrea Smith]

The Daily Beast, Tribes Blast ‘Wannabe’ Native American Professor

Trigger Warning: Gaslighting

Andrea366, My Statement on the Current Media Controversy

“I have always been, and will always be Cherokee. I have consistently identified myself based on what I knew to be true. My enrollment status does not impact my Cherokee identity or my continued commitment to organizing for justice for Native communities.”

Name: Elizabeth Ann Warren née Herring
Field: Politician
Online: U.S. Senator
Claim: Cherokee and “High Cheek Bones” Tribe*
Actual: Caucasian
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3
Comments: *Satirical commentary on Warren’s words

Links:

Reason, 5 Other Fake Indians Besides Elizabeth Warren [Elizabeth Warren, Iron Eyes Cody, Ward Churchill]

Vice, Joseph Boyden’s Apology and the Strange History of ‘Pretendians’ [Joseph Boyden, Archie “Grey Owl” Belaney, Elizabeth Warren]

NY Post, Why ‘Pretendians’ are bad for Native Americans [Sacheen Littlefeather, Elizabeth Warren, Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

NY Post, Elizabeth Warren admits to ‘mistakes’ regarding Native American ancestry claims [Elizabeth Warren]

Vox, New evidence has emerged Elizabeth Warren claimed American Indian heritage in 1986 [Elizabeth Warren]

CBS News, Warren explains minority listing, talks of grandfather’s “high cheekbones” [Elizabeth Warren]

Name: Erika T. Wurth
Field: Author & Professor
Institution: Western Illinois University [profile]
Online: ErikaTWurth.com, @erikatwurth
Claim: Urban Black and Native of Apache, Chickasaw, and Cherokee descent
Photos: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Links:

TribalAllianceAgainstFrauds, Erika T. Wurth [Erika T. Wurth]

Fake Indians: Ancestor Stealing, Performing Identity: Erika Wurth’s Tall Tales, Part 1 [Erika T. Wurth]

NYPost, ‘Native American’ novelist praised by GMA, NYT accused of being a ‘Pretendian’ [Erika T. Wurth]

English Headline, ‘Native American’ author Erika Wurth accused as ‘fake Indian’ [Erika T. Wurth]

Local Today, Native American author Erika Wurth accused of ‘fake Indian’ [Erika T. Wurth]

NY Post, Why ‘Pretendians’ are bad for Native Americans [Sacheen Littlefeather, Elizabeth Warren, Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

TheDailyBeast, The Native American Activists Exposing Celebrity ‘Race-Fakers’ [Heather Rae [Bybee], Erika T. Wurth]

“Brief Introduction

Elizabeth Hoover (Pretendian) is one of many settlers in academia who claim Indigeneity based on unverified family lore and has marketed this identity for personal gain, acquiring both fellowships and faculty positions (Hilleary 2022, Isai 2022, Viren 2021). The authors of this letter are Indigenous scholars and former students of Hoover with affiliations at Brown University and UC Berkeley. As scholars embedded in the kinship networks of our communities, we find Hoover’s repeated attempts to differentiate herself from settlers with similar stories and her claims of having lived experience as an Indigenous person by dancing at powwows absolutely appalling. Her statement fails to acknowledge the prevalence of settler self-indigenization (Sturm 2011), which we find wholly unacceptable. As students at Cal, we are extremely disappointed by the University’s performative statements and inaction. We demand that Elizabeth Hoover resign and seek out a new position based on her true identity. Although we offer steps of accountability, we defer judgment to the communities she has commodified.“

– Collective statement on Elizabeth Hoover, November 11, 2023