Native Scholars Work to Prevent Fraud at Universities

Native Scholars Work to Prevent Fraud at Universities

In June 2021, an anonymous¹ report began to spread among Canada's university system. It accused six professors and employees at Queen's College in Ontario of lying about their ancestry² for personal gain.

"Queen's College is currently overrun with white Canadians making false claims to Indigenous³ — especially Algonquin — identity," the document reads. As a result, it said, the six were getting special treatment from the school and should be dismissed from their positions.

The report also said that there were other college employees who falsely claim to be Native Americans, although it did not name any.

The college rejected the accusations⁴ which led to wider protest. A group of 100 Indigenous scholars quickly condemned⁵ Queen's College in a written statement.

It said the school employs whites presented as Indigenous professionals who claim, "both trauma⁶ and healing that never belonged to them...." It argued that the school should require evidence of such claims, saying some are based on a single, old, family story or less. The scholars criticized the school for permitting such people to gain from lying about their ancestry and experiences.

The protest letter demanded that Queen's College and all higher-education centers establish ethical⁷ employment guidelines. It said they must include a process to confirm the ancestry claims of job seekers.

Not only a problem in Canada

The problem does not stop at the Canadian border, Native Americans say.

In 2015, Dartmouth College learned that the director of its Native American Program was not a member of an officially recognized tribe. The college dismissed the worker from that job and placed her in another.

University of California professor and book writer, Andrea Smith, has said she is Native American for many years. Her claim has been debated for almost as long. The New York Times wrote a long story about Smith and the ancestry issue last year.

In 2021, reporter Jacqueline Keeler began investigating people who claim to be Indigenous. Keeler, a Native American, says she has identified about 200 people she suspects are frauds --- people who say they are something that they are not.

Keeler works with tribes, historians and researchers to uncover truth in claims of Native ancestry. The team examined ancestral evidence from as far back as the 1600s. Then Keeler produced a list of names of professionals who, she says, falsely claim to be Native.

VOA examined the list, which includes artists, writers, actors and many university workers. VOA is not publishing the list, as it cannot independently confirm what it reports.

Some people have criticized Keeler for leading a witch hunt. But she has strong support in Native circles.

"I don't think Jackie intends to do anything with it," Ben Barnes, chief of the Shawnee tribe in Oklahoma, told VOA. Natives have been protesting such fraud in U.S. universities for a long time, he said, adding that he thinks of the list as "a place for Natives to come together and say, 'Hey, you're not crazy."

Long history of ‘frauds'

Outside of university life, many people have tried to profit from false Native American identity. That is one reason Native Americans try to fight against frauds.

One well-known actor, Iron Eyes Cody, often played Native Americans in movies and television programs from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was actually Italian American.

In the U.S., tribes are considered independent nations that have the right to govern themselves.

Most require proof of ancestry to join a tribe. Admission may require knowledge of the tribal⁸ language, culture and history.

Native Americans say that people considered frauds often make up stories about their ancestors.

Frauds shaping policy

In March, the University of Michigan began an online discussion about frauds in media, arts, politics and education. It was called "Unsettling Genealogies⁹."

Kim TallBear, a Canadian professor, took part in the event. She raised special concern about frauds who become well-known in their professions. She said some become "thought leaders" who help the government make policy.

David Cornsilk is an expert on the Cherokee Nation. He said the issue is damaging public trust in universities. University employers must be willing to investigate people they are considering for hire, he said.

Ben Barnes, the Shawnee leader, appears to agree.

"If someone asks me if I'm a resident of the state of Oklahoma, I pull out my driver's license¹⁰," Barnes said. "Why is asking somebody to show their tribal identification card a problem?"

In March, the National Indigenous University Senior Leaders' Association (NIUSLA) and the First Nations University of Canada (FNU) held an online discussion. Organizers called on attendees to explore the best ways to validate¹¹ identity claims.

FNU President and NIUSLA co-chair Jacqueline Ottman said the process of self-identification is not working. She offered what might prove a simple solution: ask university job seekers for permission to investigate their backgrounds.

"It may become more difficult for some people to claim indigeneity, but these processes will ensure that indigenous peoples are rightly identified and stepping into these positions."

Words in This Story

anonymous –n. not named or identified

scholar –n. a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it

trauma –n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience

fraud –adj. a person who pretends to be something they are not in order to trick people

witch hunt –n. the act of unfairly looking for and punishing people

intend –v. to plan or want to do something

crazy –adj. not sane¹² or unable to think clearly

admission –n. the act of admitting or giving permission to enter a place or school

resident –n. a person who lives in a place

license –n. an official document or card

validate –v. to show something is legal or official

ensure –v. to make something sure, certain or safe

1 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

2 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

3 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

7 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

8 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

9 genealogies   

n.系谱，家系，宗谱( genealogy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tracing back our genealogies, I found he was a kinsman of mine. 转弯抹角算起来——他算是我的一个亲戚。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• The insertion of these genealogies is the more peculiar and unreasonable. 这些系谱的掺入是更为离奇和无理的。 来自辞典例句

10 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

11 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

12 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。