Open Letter in Condemnation of Fraudsters and Race Shifters Co-Opting Indigenous

Identities
10 October 2023

The National Indigenous Law Students’ Association calls on all Canadians to stop the
misappropriation of our identities. This is a call to stop. This is a call to be honest. This is a call
to be genuine.

Recent years have given rise to a number of investigations and controversies into
well-known “Indigenous” individuals who have been discovered to not be Indigenous at all.1
These fraudsters (often referred to as “pretendians”, being a play on the words “pretend” and
“Indian”), and race-shifters have co-opted Indigenous identities, whether Cree, Mi’kmaq, Inuit or
Métis, and gained prestige, funds, and accolades based on their false claim to Indigeneity.
Numerous individuals have had their identities and ancestries examined and found lacking on an
evidentiary basis. Carrie Bourassa,2 formerly an Indigenous Health expert at the University of
Saskatchewan, and Vianne Timmons3, former Memorial University President and Indspire award
winner, are just two of these fraudsters who have claimed Indigenous identity despite having no
Indigenous ancestry. Michelle Latimer,4 Joseph Boyden,5 Grey Owl… the list of fraudsters is
long and continuously growing. These individuals have used their platforms and fraudulent
claims of Indigeneity to act as authorities and spokespeople for Indigenous communities and
peoples in the public eye.
1
Hayley Lewis, “What are ‘pretendians’ and how are they causing ‘severe harm’ to Indigenous communities?” (9
March 2023) Global News <https://globalnews.ca/news/9450313/pretendians-canada-indigenous-ancestry/>
[perma.cc/Q6LL-RXV9].
2
Geoff Leo, “Indigenous or pretender?” (27 October 2021) CBC News <https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/
features/carrie-bourassa-indigenous> [perma.cc/49CA-6279].
3
Ariana Kelland & Katie Breen, “Walking the line” (8 March 2023) CBC News
<https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/identity-vianne-timmons> [perma.cc/Z55Y-SD3R].
4
Ka’nhehsí:io Deer & Jorge Barrera, “Award-winning filmmaker Michelle Latimer's Indigenous identity under
scrutiny” (17 December 2020) CBC News <https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/michelle-latimer-kitigan-zibi-
indigenous-identity-1.5845310> [perma.cc/A42W-L7B4].
5
Jorge Barrera, “Author Joseph Boyden’s shape-shifting Indigenous identity” (23 December 2016) APTN News
<https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/author-joseph-boydens-shape-shifting-indigenous-identity/>
[perma.cc/7GDZ-NPWP].
 Earlier this year, a Quebecois woman named Suzanne Foucault opened an “Indigenous
fusion” restaurant near Ottawa, with an array of decor and menu names that are outright
appropriative.6 Foucault has claimed a wide variety of Indigenous identities including
Algonquin, Iroquois, and Métis, switching between them as she sees fit. She also uses these
identities entirely for the purpose of monetary gain rather than contributing to any living
community. Race shifters and fraudsters use Indigenous identity like a costume, using it for
personal gain, both material and social. Many of these race shifters, like Foucault, switch
between identities and adopt a pan-Indigenous conception of culture. Joseph Boyden is a
notorious example, having claimed Mi’kmaq, Métis, and Ojibway roots among others, all while
winning awards and gaining fame as an “Indigenous” author.

Law schools and law students have not escaped the impacts of these trends. At our
universities and within our student associations, we see individuals co-opting our identities,
cultures, and communities. We see individuals benefiting from performativity, using falsehoods
or sheer ignorance to seek benefits and connections they have no right to. They associate
themselves with our associations, communities, and peer groups, and use these associations and
falsehoods as a platform for their own benefit. We see them speaking on behalf of us in our
classrooms. We go to events and see them leveraging their “Indigeneity” to build their networks.
We go into our careers in firms, non-profits, or government departments and see non-Indigenous
individuals occupying Indigenous spaces alongside us. We fight to have our identities recognized
and respected while fraudsters take positions based on identity theft. We build connections and
relationships with other Indigenous students, professors, and professionals, only to discover that
these people have lied to us about who they are. We are left questioning, confused, and
distrustful.

This has to end.

These individuals do not only put themselves in danger of controversy, but reflect badly
on those individuals who are reconnecting, who are actively putting in the work to find their
communities, rediscover their culture, and are cognizant of their positions. None of this is meant
to shame or dissuade those who are genuinely and respectfully reconnecting to a heritage they’ve
lost. Many of us have been displaced from our communities through the effects of colonization,
diaspora, the Sixties Scoop, and residential schools. Fraudsters cause immense harm when
fraudulently claiming and misrepresenting indigeneity.

We are Indigenous people. We are living people, in living communities, with living
cultures. Pretendians continue to use our identities to take up spaces in our communities, to
6
Candace Maracle, “Menu and decor at Manitou Bistro 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say” (8 August
2023) CBC News <https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/manitou-bistro-kitigan-zibi-1.6919989>
[perma.cc/ZMC5-D6QJ].
fraudulently use our culture, to misappropriate scholarships, bursaries, and grants set aside for
Indigenous folks, and to rob Indigenous peoples of their identity for their own ends.

Pretendians: stop.

Descendancy or ancestry is not synonymous with culture. One Indigenous ancestor

hundreds of years ago does not make you Indigenous. Marrying an Indigenous person does not
make you Indigenous. Being “adopted-in” does not make you Indigenous. Cultural expression
alone is not synonymous with Indigeneity. Going to a powwow does not make you Indigenous.
Making beadwork does not make you Indigenous. Identifying with our heritage does not make
you Indigenous.

Be honest with yourself and with others. If you’re reconnecting, say so. If you don’t
know where you come from, say so. Know your story and be upfront about it. Be honest about
what you don’t know and what you’re unsure of. Be honest when you’ve made a mistake or said
something you discover later is untrue. If you avoid the hard questions when you’re asked, think
about why.

To allies and peers: listen to us. Support us. Back us up.

There are ways to ask difficult questions without being discriminatory. It can be
uncomfortable to ask these questions and ask someone to “prove” their Indigeneity. However, it
is clear that taking people at face value is not enough. There are people who consistently try to
exploit that discomfort, to slip by the questions people are unwilling to ask. Work with our
communities, ask the hard questions, do your research, and listen to what we have to say. We’re
happy to tell our stories if you ask.

Drew Hayden Taylor notes the three traditional questions that you can ask someone
claiming Indigeneity: “Do you consider yourself Indigenous? Does the community consider you
Indigenous? And where does your family come from?”7 This will not catch every fraudster, but it
is a start. Jean Teillet also crafted a report, Indigenous Identity Fraud, in the aftermath of the
multiple cases of fraudulence that outlines several key indicators of identity fraud and offers
solutions for verification of Indigenous identity.8

7
Drew Hayden Taylor, “Identity wars: What makes an Indigenous person Indigenous, and how do 'pretendians'
complicate things?” (29 September 2022) CBC Docs
<https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/identity-wars-what-makes-an-indigenous-person-indigenous-
and-how-do-pretendians-complicate-things-1.6595901> [perma.cc/SG8L-FKZQ].
8
Jean Teillet, Indigenous Identity Fraud: A Report for the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon: University of
Saskatchewan, 2022) <https://leadership.usask.ca/documents/about/reporting/jean-teillet-report.pdf>.
 While we value the work of non-Indigenous allies, claiming to be Indigenous while doing
that work does more harm than good. Come as yourself or not at all.

We know that there is no easy solution. Changing the systems that have supported
fraudsters will take hard work and hard conversations. However, we are committed to doing this
work and hope that by taking this stance we can strive to do better for Indigenous peoples across
Turtle Island.

In solidarity,

The National Indigenous Law Students Association Executive

nationalindigenouslawstudents@gmail.com