tag: pretendians

Killers of the Flower Moon
The Osage Nation is celebrating a major milestone for a film that shares an otherwise difficult time in the tribe’s history.
Ben Barnes
The nation’s largest inter-tribal advocacy organization is at a major crossroads as it celebrates a milestone anniversary.
Chuck Hoskin Jr.
A state-recognized tribe is not an Indian tribe. And a member of one of these groups is not an Indian.
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie’s stated connections to any tribe in Canada or the United States appear to be completely made up. What’s next?
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Celebrated singer and songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is still in doubt about her origins in a new statement issued in advance of a Canadian documentary that explores her ever-shifting Native identity claims.
Piapot, Saskatchewan
A Canadian news documentary focuses on the Native identity claims of one of the most celebrated performers in entertainment history.
Jorge Aaron Riley
In a court filing, U.S. Capitol breach defendant Jorge Aaron Riley finally admitted he knows little to nothing about his supposed “American Indian” heritage.
Santa Fe Indian Market
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board, the federal agency charged with protecting and promoting authentic Native art, is welcoming a new member.
Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes
Efforts to strengthen the Indian Arts and Crafts Act are drawing widespread attention as tribes seek a major — and controversial — change to a law designed to protect Native artists from frauds.
Chuck Hoskin Jr.
For too many generations, citizens of tribal nations around the country, including Cherokee Nation citizens, saw their language, their culture and their artistic expression suppressed and eroded by policies of the United States.
Winona LaDuke
One of Indian Country’s most prominent environmental activists has been ordered to pay $750,000 to a former employee after being found liable for sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace.
Amber Midthunder, Jhane Myers, Heather Rae and Crystal Echohawk
The Cherokee Nation is distancing itself from a prominent Hollywood filmmaker, confirming Heather Rae isn’t a tribal citizen and hasn’t benefited from production incentives on the reservation.
Brian Schatz
Efforts to strengthen and improve the Indian Arts and Crafts Act are coming amid criminal cases and renewed claims to Native identities.
Jorge Aaron Riley
It took more than two years but a self-proclaimed Native Republican wore his “best Trump tie” to court and finally admitted he committed a crime during a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Capitol
The 118th Congress began in a most unusual fashion as Republicans descended into what one Democrat derided as “chaos” in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Yurok Tribe
Citizenship is one of the keystones of sovereignty for every tribe.
Sacheen Littlefeather / Marie Louise Cruz
“Pretendianism” – the act of falsely claiming American Indian heritage – does real harm.
Elizabeth Hoover
A controversial scholar who claimed to be Native for decades has ended her relationships with two prominent Native food organizations.
Elizabeth Hoover
A scholar who has made a name for herself in Native food sovereignty has vowed to stop claiming to be of “Mohawk/Mi’kmaq descent” despite doing so for decades.
The Pretendians
A new documentary tackles a topic that continues to generate controversy. Why are so many people claiming to be Indian?
Dakota Beavers
A star of the hit film Prey wants to find out the “truth” about his supposed tribal ancestry. But Hollywood studios don’t share the same commitment.
Sean Sherman
Indian Country’s most celebrated chef is facing calls for greater accountability after hiring a domestic violence offender.
StrongHearts Native Helpline
A prominent photographer who built a sizable following online with posts featuring Native women and girls is stepping out of the spotlight after survivors came forward with accounts of trauma.
Scott Badenoch
Have you subscribed to Pretendian Country Today? Why not?
Regan Loggans, also known as Regan de Loggans
The most prominent “Indigenous” group in New York City is responding to concerns about Regan Loggans, also known as Regan de Loggans.
Regan Loggans, also known as Regan de Loggans
The leader of New York City’s most prominent and vocal Indigenous group is changing their story after being asked about their tribal affiliation claims.
'We are not your mascot'
Leaders of a U.S. Congressional committee will host a roundtable to examine what they are calling the “toxic workplace culture” within the Washington professional football team.
Michelle Latimer
What we are facing has been, and continues to be, a settler colonial crisis, which under its current guise, seeks to replace us.
Corinne Perera
A social media figure who built a following by creating “Native” content is backing away from her tribal affiliation claims.
Grey Owl
There is a growing movement to identify and call-out people who have fraudulently held positions by claiming indigeneity like Cheyanne Turions, Joseph Boyden, Michelle Latimer and Carrie Bourassa.
Pike Place Market
A Washington man who claims to be a Native artist has been charged with violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and for illegally possessing eagle feathers and other bird parts.