Littlefeather clearly looks like a Native/Mexican woman in the last photo I saw of her. It is also another colonial act. Elizabeth Cook-Lynn wrote of the influence of pretendians in academia and political positions: [U]nscrupulous scholars in the discipline who had no stake in Native nationhood but who had achieved status in academia and held on to it through fraudulent claims to lndian Nation heritage and blood directed the discourse. Keeler, 53, a member of the Navajo Nation, was born in Cleveland to parents who went there as part of a voluntary relocation program by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the mid-20th century, I am an enrolled Navajo Nation citizen. It was a suggested tactic to draw attention from Kevin Durant, a Black NBA player. Our rationale was that Fox News, owned by the same people that run the Post, has. Not some random journalist who wants to speak for all Indigenous peoples. [13] In his 1998 book Playing Indian, Deloria argues that white settlers have always played with stereotypical imagery of the peoples that were replaced during colonization, using these tropes to form a new national identity that can be seen as distinct from previous European identities. "Jeff Bezos is awful! To protect the rights of Indigenous people, pretendians like Wages and Warren must be challenged and the retelling of their false narratives must be stopped. [36], On September 13, 2021, the CBC News reported on their ongoing investigation into a "mysterious letter", dated 1845 (but never seen before 2011[37]) that is now believed to be a forgery. In April 2018, APTN National News in Canada investigated how pretendians - in the film industry and in real life - promote "stereotypes, typecasting, and even, what is known as 'redface. Its a little disappointing to me how people can take delight in this, he said. This is a very well written article. The sisters also assert that Littlefeather's stories about their violent and impoverished upbringing were also patently false. A list of pretendians. (20 years to "get the records straight). Blood quantum is designed to wipe us out. Just because Nighthorse Campbell got enrollment in the Northern Cheyenne nation doesnt mean hes not a Pretendian. But we didnt listen. Survivor of pretendian pandemic. No public retraction or apology was made for this huge oversight. Im investigating actual ethnic fraud which harms Native people. Self-identification, or even DNA tests, for instance, obscure the fact that American Indians have not only a cultural relationship to a specific tribe and the United States but a legal one. A pretendian is a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous identity by claiming to be a citizen of a Native American or Indigenous Canadian tribal nation, or to be descended from Native ancestors. While some may not be enrolled or citizens they are accepted in their communities and we recognize that these decisions should ultimately be made by the tribes . Contrary to Littlefeather's half-century long claims, she has no White Mountain Apache or Yaqui heritage . In response to an Indigenous Wire item yesterday about the way the New York Post treated a picture of writer and activist Jacqueline Keeler in its coverage of the Pretendian/Karendian/Defendian Native identity and ethnic fraud controversy, Keeler shot the messenger in this case, yours truly. Jan 28, 2021. "Everyone on this list . [4][5][6][7] The term is a pejorative colloquialism, and if used without evidence could be considered defamatory. The pretendians will be exposed by fellow indigenous people or God. Let us focus on unity and building bridges! My pop was entirely adopted by the Bay deNoc Ojibwa. 3 Native Events Included in ABAs Top 100 Events https://jacquelinekeeler.substack.com/p/hollywood-fantasy-is-sacheen-littlefeather?utm_medium=email, Countdown to 2023 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow, Native Americans Nominated for Webby Awards. The term is a pejorative colloquialism, and if used without evidence could be considered defamatory.As a practice, being a pretendian is considered an extreme . Pretendians - noun - A person who falsely claims to have Indigenous ancestry - meaning it's people who fake an Indigenous identity or dig up an old ancestor from hundreds of years ago to proclaim themselves as Indigenous today. At the same time, we were defining the long-established Karendian and Kendian terms not supporting misogyny and, again, we do believe this issue is of utmost importance, as we said in the original post. There was a rise in pretendians after the 1960s for a number of reasons, such as the reestablishment of tribal sovereignty following the era of Indian termination policy, the media coverage of the Occupation of Alcatraz and the Wounded Knee Occupation, and the formation of Native American studies as a distinct form of area studies which led to the establishment of publishing programs and university departments specifically for or about Native American culture. https://jacquelinekeeler.substack.com/p/hollywood-fantasy-is-sacheen-littlefeather?utm_medium=email. As for Jacqueline Keeler, I haven't interacted with her in real life as you have, but in this case she reacted the way a number of people over many years have said she has to other situations in the past. The Vermont Eugenics Records NEVER once mentioned in the 40+ boxes of materials the word Abenaki for any of his or any other family (including my ancestors, the Wood(w)ards, nor their lateral line relatives, the Ways, Sweetsers, etc. Were on the list that apparently matters. Im not sure who is investigating and what the consequences are, she said. Keeler followed her piece with a Substack article, asking the question: Did the Academy apologize to a fraud?, Its a lie, Trudy Orlandi, Littlefeathers sister, told Keeler. Then she deletes related tweets and other social media that would undermine her integrity, and she usually presents herself in the end as the aggrieved, yet righteous, victor on whatever issue she is championing. And I have witnessed tribes, simply NOT leading the investigations into fraudulent claims of native identity. Gaslighting might be an appropriate word to describe a portion of what Keeler has been described as doing, but were not sure, because we havent experienced it personally. Hardly. There's a post about . The issue is that she seems to have gone about it in a bad way, that actually hurts the overall effort. Recently, theres been a lot of publicity surrounding high-profile cases of individuals falsely claiming Indigenous American ancestry while working in entertainment and other industries. Pierce added the piece preys on peoples insecurities rather than proposing a type of repair., Its like putting your finger in a wound, you know? [41] Academic Dina Gilio-Whitaker wrote that the truth about community leaders is "crucial", even if it means losing a "hero", and that the work Littlefeather did is still valuable, but there is a need to be honest about the harm done by pretendians, especially by those who manage to fool so many people that they become iconic:[35], The stereotype Littlefeather embodied depended on non-Native people not knowing what they were looking at, or knowing what constitutes legitimate American Indian identity. She blocked me on twitter too and Sharp also block Cam Foreman, of Redding Rancheria, whose ancestor had to be DUG UP for a DNA test, which, at 99.8% wasn't a strong enough match. Accusations of anti-Black bias in the creation of the list have also been brought up. Unless a person shares their background and history, appearance isnt going to give anything away. [32] Academic Kim TallBear writes that all those mentioned on the list are public figures who have profited from their alleged Indigenous status, that Keelers and her teams list documents that the overwhelming number of those who benefit financially from pretendianism are white, and that these false claims are related to white supremacy and Indigenous erasure. As a cultural and political identity . . Keelers rationale is that these are public-facing people. I appreciate Keelers work in trying to out people like Linda for the frauds they are! I have met her in real life it seems like she has some trauma and baggage of her own to sort out. Get quality preowned and refurbished ophthalmic equipment Save thousands over new equipment when you can get the same quality and . Wild seeing all the people come out against this abuse, including Public Indians who have been wronged by Keeler, as "Institutional Indian Country" stays well the fuck away. Its just a list of claims, some debunked, and might be a useful one. Keeler's list lacks documentation, is libelous, and includes dozens of people who are recognized by their tribes and communities as kin and contributing members of their communities. We were written off, no more dialogue to be had, and our thoughts on the Posts coverage were apparently just plain stupid, not worthy of a response (no matter that we repeat, again, that Fox News has been caught doing this very thing in the past in an attempt to undermine people it disagrees with). She called Keelers allegations a witch-hunt and provided proof of her ancestry, the New York Post reported in January. You might be a pretendian if your star quilt was bought at Target or has Chewbacca on it. Keeler said she was inspired to create the document this year in response to a New York Times op-ed by Claudia Lawrence a freelance journalist who has since been accused of being a Pretendian. Early false claims to Indigenous identity, often called "playing Indian", go back at least as far as the Boston Tea Party. Communing with the Dead: The 'New Mtis,' Mtis Identity Appropriation, and the Displacement of Living Mtis Culture. Keeler has a reputation for doing this kind of thing. I know. Reactions to the list among Natives online range from the passive agreement that Indian Country needs a vetting process to outright protest over the ethics of adding names to a public list without verification. Indigenous nations hold the power to decide who is and is not a member of their nations. The Eugenics didnt target Abenakis, but rather Poor White persons, and families, as well as French-Canadians, and Black families such as the Phelps up in St. Albans, Vermont. At the same time, hippie and New Age cultures marketed Native cultures as accessible, spiritual, and as a form of resistance to mainstream culture, leading to the rise of the plastic shaman or "culture vulture." Peaceful sleep and the joke of roads to laugh at in the morning i wish for you. It only is supportive of Karens scheming for land when you forget your surprise reaction at this stuff. "Report on Conclusion of Preliminary Review in the Matter of Professor Ward Churchill". As with the Abenakis of Vermont and New Hampshire, the Penobscots, Maliseets, Mikmaqs, nor the Passamaquoddies, let alone the Federally Recognized tribal communities, in the past or present, have ever questioned or even really validated objectively, that these people in Vermont and New Hampshire actually descend from the Abenakis. This is your angle, an important issue, and we have previously reported difficult articles about it and will continue to do so. Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity, Inventing an Indigenous People in Algonquin Territory, Settler Colonialism + Native Ghosts: An Autoethnographic Account of the Imaginarium of Late Capitalist/Colonialist Storytelling, Waterloo, Ontario: University of Waterloo, Becoming Indian: The Struggle Over Cherokee Identity in the Twenty-First Century, Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science, APTN Investigates: Cowboys and Pretendians, "Indigenous 'Race Shifting' Red Flags: A Quick Primer for Reporters and Others", Pretendians and Their Impact on Mtis Identity in the Academy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pretendian&oldid=1138314384, Erika T. Wurth is a novelist claiming Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent whose novel, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 01:08. Hence, she believes that some on the list are hiding behind the Black Lives Matter movement by strategically labeling her list racist and pointing to times, We attempted to respond to Keeler with a calm, rational tweet, assuring her we werent attacking her; rather, we were investigating the Posts coverage. [32] Academic Dina Gilio-Whitaker, who reviewed Keelers documentation on Sacheen Littlefeather before it was published (see below), wrote that in her opinion Keeler did solid research. "Becoming Indian: The Self-Invention of Yeffe Kimball. [4] The CBC investigation used handwriting analysis, and other methods of archival and historical evaluation to conclude the letter is a fake. Black Natives should never see this type of behavior from someone with such a large platform, whom theyd entrusted to advocate on their behalf. They claimed they were all hiding in plain sight due to fears of discrimination, and of course, using the Eugenics Survey of Vermont 1925-1937 as an excuse, hijacking that for gains publicly and politically. She was confronted about it and denied it on Twitter (as seen on comprehensive document above about her actions). Maybe the Littlefeather name and the braids seemed like overdoing it, but guess what she was first and foremost achecks notes professional actress so shes the theatrical type doesnt mean she was actually lying though. Nadema Agard, a New York City visual artist who claims Lakota, Cherokee, and Powhatan ancestry, is . [34] She says the list is the product of decades of Native peoples' efforts at accountability. Keeler seems to be going on the latter much of the time and is not humble enough admit an error when she comes to an erroneous conclusion, that is later refuted by hard evidence. Jacqueline Keeler. Unclear how he got enrolled. Keeler doesnt mention if she reached out to Northern Cheyenne tribal officials. Staff genealogist. After the whole New York Times/Claudia Lawrence debacle, I was fed up and tired of tiptoeing around frauds because of the power they wield. Indigenous Wire is a Native-owned, reader-supported publication. Please use you the brain Creator gave you and have more thoughtful contributions to this discourse. [38] Bourassa was placed on immediate leave from her post at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research after her claims of Indigenous ancestry were found to be baseless.[39]. Littlefeathers act in 1973, declining Marlon Brandos Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf, brought immense backlash within the industry. But call the Sault Tribe enrollment department if you must. It was a list that was to be researched by. Happy Friday, Wiredians (see what we did there?). Keeler references we in many of her posts regarding this list without publicly disclosing exactly who else is involved. Theres so many things hurting our communities, and theres so many beautiful things to celebrate, and her witch hunt sucks up all the oxygen, she added. records were people who ALREADY incarcerated in institutions previous to the Eugenics Survey, as the Childrens Aid Society had been documenting child of impoverished homes, truancy cases, and abusive homes across both states, and Harriet E. Abbott, came from that organization (as did others) and later became agents of the Eugenics Movement. We become a spectacle for those who at best think of us as a Halloween costume idea. No, because the method is flawed. Keeler had blocked us, and she deleted her three Twitter responses that we noted above. Again, believe it or not. [32] Working with other Natives in tribal enrollment departments, genealogists and historians, they began following up on the names many had been hearing for years in tribal circles were not actually Native, asking about current community connections as well as researching family histories "as far back as the 1600s" to see if they had any ancestors who were Native or had ever lived in a tribal community. We attempted to respond to Keeler with a calm, rational tweet, assuring her we werent attacking her; rather, we were investigating the Posts coverage. Malea Powell is on Jacqueline Keeler's Alleged Pretendian list as debunked (not Native) . This is your angle @RobCapriccioso? In the hunting and fishing realm, they are mostly white men. The strongest rule of white culture is to speak when spoken to. Exercise caution. Believe it or not, some non-Indian folks, not steeped in this stuff, dont know what a Pretendian, a Defendian, a Karendian and/or a Kendian are. A screenshot from 2014 purporting to show Jacqueline Keeler advocating for dressing up in blackface began circulating on, The conversation apparently took place during organizing action against Native. Keeler insists Agards heritage traces itself back to Barbados and showed genealogical records which she said backed up the assertion. they have been determined. She attached links to, with some names, which indicates at least some of this research is being conducted via, searches. , Keeler went a different routeone that we had been told in advance she might. Theres also a lot of personal data being collected for this list and made public. Our rationale was that Fox News, owned by the same people that run the Post, has manipulated pictures of people it has wanted to portray unflatteringly in the past, so this certainly could have been the case here. Despite wide circulation on social media, Keeler has yet to address the screenshot. Among famous names like Johnny Depp and, Theres not a clear process on how this research is being conducted or how individuals are singled out for suspicion. Joseph M. Pierce, an associate professor of Latin American and Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University, said he wouldnt be surprised if Keelers claims were true. Fair warning, I know Jackie Keeler and she stood with us at a protest at the BIA. Littlefeather died on 2 October following a breast cancer diagnosis. The Alleged Pretendians list now has 90 folks on it. She attached links to Ancestry.com with some names, which indicates at least some of this research is being conducted via Ancestry.com searches. If colonialism has not eradicated Indigenous people by starvation, residential schools, the reserve system, taking their lands and languages, scooping their children, and doing everything to assimilate Indigenous peoples, then the final act is to become them. In September 2003, Odanaks Chief, Gilles Obomsawin, with the Band Council retracted their recognition (politically) of anyone claiming to be Abenakis south of the US/Canadian border, with the exception of Odanaks own people who reside in the U.S.A. (which are documented descendants of Odanak Abenakis). 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Native American hotel guest claims white employee mocked her accent during dispute over disabled relative, Indigenous activists to protest Chiefs name, tomahawk chop, Dances with Wolves actor filmed sex assault of child, groomed girls to replace wives: prosecutor, Inside Nathan Chasing Horses alleged long history of sexual abuse. Quality and the list is the product of decades of Native peoples ' efforts accountability. Reputation for doing this kind of thing rule of white Culture is to speak for all indigenous peoples that... A different routeone that we had been told in advance she might who is investigating and what the are! 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