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Thoughts?

I completely understand where the speakers are coming from when they talk not only about cultural appropriation but also identity appropriation. This is where we need to activate our Two-Eyed Seeing, understanding why someone might pretend to be someone they are not. Some people genuinely enjoy learning about the culture and are simply interested in it.

From what I’ve witnessed and experienced, this interest can sometimes unintentionally create racism within the community. That is, you’re not considered “Indigenous enough” to teach the content or participate in the culture. It’s a delicate boundary; many people are hesitant to cross it and end up sitting on the sidelines, struggling to claim where they belong.

The issue becomes more serious when personal gain harms Indigenous culture. For example, when individuals receive grants or professional opportunities, or claim hunting and fishing rights under pretenses, it becomes a problem. Similarly, teaching Indigenous perspectives while falsely claiming to be Indigenous and publishing work under that guise is deeply unethical. Exploiting Indigenous people is wrong.

If someone truly wants to help and act in the spirit of Reconciliation, it’s essential to set clear intentions. Asking how to help is the key, rather than pretending.

Question: How can an individual with no Indigenous ancestry learn about and support Indigenous communities without being perceived as a "Pretendian"?

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Thoughts

It is critical to reflect on how educational institutions, governments, and social organizations have historically imposed their own definitions of Indigenous identity, often ignoring the voices and governance of Indigenous communities themselves. To support true self-determination, we need to move beyond criteria set by external bodies and prioritize Indigenous-led processes for defining membership and belonging. This requires not only respecting existing laws and protocols within Indigenous nations but also actively challenging systems that devalue or override Indigenous self-identification, ensuring reconciliation efforts are in line with community needs and perspectives.

As an example, I was deeply troubled over the recent issue regarding Buffy Sainte-Marie’s questionable Indigenous self-identification.  Her story offers a timely and sensitive lens through which to consider these dynamics. Once celebrated as an Indigenous icon, her identity was called into question following a 2023 investigation that produced official documents and family testimony suggesting she was born to white parents in Massachusetts, contradicting her lifelong claim of Cree heritage. Sainte-Marie has responded that her identity and sense of belonging were rooted in her personal history, family stories, and her adoption into a Cree family according to traditional customs, not colonial paperwork. The resulting debate among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people touches on the hurt and confusion these revelations cause, the role of colonial record-keeping in shaping identity, and the vital right of Indigenous communities to determine who belongs. While some community members defend Sainte-Marie’s belonging within her adopted family, others emphasize the responsibility and sensitivity needed when claims to identity directly affect collective rights, representation, and resources. This underscores the ongoing need for processes that center Indigenous authority in decisions about identity and citizenship, resisting both external imposition and individual claims that are disconnected from community recognition and accountability.

For further information on this issue, please see: https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/buffy-sainte-marie

Expanded Question

In fields like academia, the arts, and organizations that engage in Indigenous programming, what effective safeguards or accountability measures could be developed to prevent Pretendians from taking up spaces and resources intended for Indigenous people? Consider what role Indigenous nations, community representatives, and elders should have in vetting claims to identity and membership, as well as how policy, hiring practices, and educational tools might center Indigenous authority without reducing identity to narrow or bureaucratic checklists. How can we ensure these processes remain ethical, transparent, and respectful of both individual privacy and collective rights?

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Like Dee, I also immediately thought of Buffy Sainte-Marie in regards to this topic. Last June I had a really meaningful conversation with a colleague who shared her frustrations with the fact she had used Buffy’s literature and poems in her English classes for years. We had a really open chat about how allyship and trying to use examples of powerful Indigenous voices can be scuppered by “Pretendians” and the human nature of the Western, Capitalistic world that is to take advantage of one other to get ahead. In my SS 9 class we have used “Grey Owl,” aka Archie Belanie (perhaps the original “Prentendian” in Canada to attempt to benefit financially from his fake status as an “Indian”) as a case study for discussion. With that in mind, my question for this padlet is:

How can we use real-world case studies of “Pretendians” in high school classes to explore issues like identity, colonialism, cultural appropriation, and Indigenous sovereignty, while ensuring we are centering and uplifting authentic Indigenous voices and knowledge? How can we ensure we are not just looking at one side of the story or using western centred ideas on this topic?

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I think the main thoughts I had after listening to Two Crees in a Pod, was of how damaging "pretendians" are. In not being tied to a specific nation, traditions or land, there is nothing to hold these individuals accountable to the responsibilities and relationships associated to an Indigenous identity. It takes away space from Indigenous voices, and potentially takes away a seat of leadership or influence from Indigenous Peoples. Spaces and roles which are difficult for those who have suffered under the trauma of colonialism to hold as they must navigate colonial systems.

This podcast made me question how long this concept had been around, how long settlers had been capitalizing on stolen cultural identities for gains, and I came across so many examples.

One that I found particularly interesting as he pioneered conservation in Canada in the 1930's was "Grey Owl." It's widely accepted that his views were only taken as legitimate because of his claimed lineage.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-24127514

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Grey Owl: Canada’s great conservationist and imposter

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A Sussex schoolboy who pretended to be a Native American while becoming arguably the world’s first celebrity conservationists was born in Sussex 125 years ago.

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First Nations University of Canada President Jacqueline Ottmann at the podium during the National Forum on Indigenous Identity Fraud held at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina. 

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Thoughts

A Pretendian is someone who claims to be Indigenous without any actual proof or evidence to back it up. I have always wondered how you verify when someone says they identify as Indigenous. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of criteria, you just have to check a box that says you identify as First Nations, Metis or Inuit and that seems to be it, you’re accepted as Indigenous. The concept of self-declaration has always seemed troublesome to me. My gut always said there should be more to it and this concept of Pretendianism backs that up. Sadly, we can't just blindly accept that because someone says they are Indigenous that they truly are because that is what has caused this whole concept of Pretendianism. However, people are also entitled to their privacy so how do you navigate that so that these Pretendians don't steal much needed opportunities, space and benefits from actual Indigenous people, such as profits, job opportunities, scholarships and bursuries, and roles in TV and film?

Question

Don’t you gain understanding other peoples and cultures if you explore them? I feel like it’s a narrow viewpoint to say that Indigenous people see it that they need to take care of their land and stay on their land and that settlers are wrong to want to experience other peoples’ ways of living and culture and travel off their own land. With understanding comes empathy and allyship, or is that just a settler viewpoint because we are white entitled people who have the opportunity to do that? But I have always believed that if we learn more we understand more. Just like if we learn more about the environment we care more about protecting it. Often racism is born from ignorance and fear of the unknown so trying to learn more about other peoples and their cultures seems like a positive step to develop respect for other cultures. In theory, with more respect, less people should be pretending they are Indigenous for profit.

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Thoughts:

Pretendians are a significant problem. While many Pretendians claim to be furthering Indigenous rights, they are harming Indigenous identity. Chris Beaver, in his article “What are Pretendians — and how do they harm Indigenous communities?”, explains that Pretendians harm Indigenous folks by taking grants for education/businesses, forcing Indigenous folks to ‘prove’ their Indigenousness, and hurting Indigenous folks with complex histories (like the victims of the Sixties’ Scoop). This highlights why educators must be mindful of the issue of Pretendians. We do not want to further the issue by unwittingly inviting Pretendians to our classrooms. As mentioned by both Beaver and the 2 Crees in a Pod podcast, many Pretendians are taking advantage of reconciliation and are engaging in identity fraud for personal or financial gain. Pretendians also network with other institutions and Indigenous community members to further solidify the Indigenous persona they are cultivating. I do not want to be used to further this form of theft. The high-profile cases of Pretendians such as Carrie Bourassa, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Grey Owl, etc. demonstrate it is important for educators to be wary of how we further Indigenous representation in the classroom. As educators, we have a blind spot of trusting information from academia. But as illuminated in the podcast, academia is eager to embrace these Predtendians, as they help these institutions further claim they are working towards reconciliation. Instead of furthering reconciliation, we may be advancing settler-colonialism (knowingly or unknowingly). Instead of making space for Indigenous voices and leadership, we have allowed settlers to present an image of Indigeneity. Ironically, the spaces opened for Indigenous autonomy and self-determination are being used by Pretendians to speak for Indigenous Peoples. Instead of Indigenous self-determination through Indigenous representation, Pretendians are taking up decision-making positions. A way to screen for Pretendians is to verify community connections. Also, because Pretendians operate out of personal or financial gain, it is a good idea to question their motivations.

Question:

In module 2, we looked at what it means to be Indigenous. Because there is no agreement on the term and how it applies, it has given room for Pretendians to take up space where they don’t belong. Looking into the ties of a person claiming Indigeneity was given as a method of verifying Indigeneity. In both the article and the podcast mentioned that there are some who are Indigenous but are reconnecting to their Indigenous culture due to the violence of residential schools and the Sixties’ Scoop. I would like to hear some ways of engaging in conversations about race and ethnicity. This is such a pervasive issue that it would not be a surprise to hear a student (or teacher) talk about a distant Indigenous relative. I also want to be sensitive to those who are reconnecting with their roots due to the Sixties’ and Millennium Scoop. Asking a person who is reconnecting with their roots to show their community connections seems insensitive. It is a pervasive issue that has fooled so many people in nearly every level of society. While I do not want to add to the problem of Pretendians, I do not feel equipped to properly or accurately identify this issue.

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B.C. artist Emily Carr is well-known for her paintings of landscapes and Westcoast villages. She also created and sold fake Indigenous “artifacts” during the Victorian period under the name  Klee Wyck, a traditional name given to her by Nuu-chah-nulth elders with whom she lived for a time.  

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Thought

Just as it is not the job of Indigenous people to educate us about the impacts of colonialism or the nuances of their traditions, it is not their job to call-out “pretendians.”  The speakers on "2 Crees in a Pod" repeatedly mentioned how carefully they were choosing their words, self-conscious of non-Indigenous and university faculty who may be listening.  They also explain how risky it is for people who are not in authority to call-out these individuals and that most Indigenous faculty are not in power positions even within Indigenous focused academia.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to disprove someone’s Indigeneity because of “Indigenous sovereignty,” the basis being self-declaration.  There is usually no follow up after someone ticks that box.  This has created opportunities for “pretendians” to take up spaces they don’t deserve and, despite the playful term, do great harm to the advances made by authentic grass roots activists.  It creates a false sense that we are doing much better as a country than we actually are, in terms of reconciliation, by placing pretendians whose appearance and demeanour are more relatable to a non-Indigenous public.  Holding these people up as success stories and representatives also creates more racism toward Indigenous people who are less assimilated and have endured real discrimination and trauma.  I’m glad they also addressed both white family lore and tracing ancestry back to first contact as examples of how many colonial settlers shed their white privilege and guilt for the impacts of colonialism.  Another explanation offered for why it is so easy for some colonial settlers to reposition themselves is because they are already displaced from Europe.  Because of this, it’s not possible to have the same connection to the land and or understand nation to nation protocol.

Question

So my question is, whose responsibility is it to question the authenticity of someone’s Indigeneity?  According to Amber from “2 Crees in a Pod,” it’s my responsibility as an ally.  But as a white colonial settler, would that not be denying someone their Indigenous sovereignty? Should we swab people and send it to Ancestry.ca before we publish their books or hire them as faculty? What percentage is high enough? What exposure or access to traditional knowledge is enough to make someone “authentic?”

Perhaps it’s just too easy for some people to simply tick a box.  Maybe there should be a sentence above the boxes like “if you claim Indigenous or Metis ancestry, a meeting with an elder may be arranged.” This way, proper protocol can be followed. People have a chance to share from where they come, from whom their knowledge comes, and to whom they are accountable.  Maybe there should be a few questions to fill in below:  with what Nation/Nations do you have lineage?  What is your preferred language for the meeting? and finally maybe a warning like “making false claims about an Indigenous heritage directly impacts the lives of Indigenous Peoples and will result in immediate dismissal.”

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Thought

This is becoming a huge issue especially when colonial institutions allowed people to self identify. Non-Indigenous people are profiting from this and sharing ideas and perspectives from a colonial lens that is put out there as an Indigenous perspective. The work of recognizing, working with and taking to task the non-Indigenous people claiming that they are is also put on Indigenous People. The hurt, the power grab from those who deserve positions and the financial benefits, needs to stop. Decolonizing and being a true ally involves non-Indigenous people in power doing that work and taking the steps to make sure this is not happening. On top of that the colonial way of needing a mountain of paper work for those who are actually Indigenous is another harm. Indigenous Peoples need records to be ‘given’ status. It is surreal to me that non-Indigenous people seem to have no problem at all making their claims and are believed immediately. As it was mentioned in the podcast, it looks good. It is exactly what the colonial system wants and prefers.

Question: Why are there not efforts being made to set a precedent for charging pretendians, who profit and take spaces intended for Indigenous Peoples, with fraud?

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Pretendians are people who falsely claim to be Indigenous, often to gain access to opportunities and benefits. It is harmful because it takes resources away from real Indigenous People, misrepresents Indigenous culture and spreads false information, delays actual change from happening, delays reconciliation and Indigenous sovereignty, and undermines trust.

It would be extremely easy to tick those boxes claiming you are Indigenous and I wonder how many false claims there are. Clearly, this needs to be addressed.

As I watched this video, I thought about the issues that occurred with gaining Indian status and how people "became" Indigenous or lost their status in marriage. It is already hard enough to get status for some people, for it then to be taken away by someone who has "Indigenous roots from 100 years ago". I am also reflecting on the difficultly of getting status when they were adopted or scooped. How is this solved? How do we put a definition on Indigenous that is accepting and easy to receive (but not that easy)? How can we include Indigenous protocol?

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What are Pretendians — and how do they harm Indigenous communities? | TVO Today

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On TVO Today’s “NDN POV,” Indigenous experts discuss why people make false identity claims and how they’re doing “something a lot more dangerous than just playing pretend.”

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Thought:
When non-Indigenous people take knowledge from Indigenous Peoples to profit or benefit from it, it can erode trust and make it more difficult for Indigenous communities to engage with non-Indigenous allies, even those with genuine intentions. This issue was discussed in the podcast Unethically Taking Space with Joel Cardinal, where concerns were raised about how the extraction of knowledge for profit or gain, and without reciprocity or respect, reinforces colonial patterns. As a teacher, I believe it’s essential to always cite the sources of our knowledge and make sure students understand where that knowledge comes from and who shared it. This helps prevent the perception that we, as non-Indigenous educators, are the sole knowledge holders.

Question:
How can we ensure that more Indigenous people are in leadership roles, as discussed in the podcast Unethically Taking Space with Joel Cardinal? Perhaps our current definition of “qualified” needs to shift away from Western standards and toward valuing traditional knowledge, lived experience, and community connection. I’ve reflected on this often, especially when I see non-Indigenous individuals occupying significant roles in Indigenous spaces. It doesn’t sit right, and for good reason. It reinforces the colonial idea that Western education is superior to Indigenous ways of knowing, continuing a legacy of systemic control and exclusion.

Reference:

Cardinal, J., & Tootoosis, M. (2022, December 12). Unethically taking space (Season 1, Episode 45) [Audio podcast episode]. In 2 Crees in a Pod. Spotify.