What to do with pretendians

OTTAWA—I found it easier to doubt Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond for her apparent misrepresentation of academic achievements than question her claims of Indigenous identity and belonging. Her case has brought complex questions about Indigeneity again to the fore after a CBC investigation documented issues with her claims of Cree ancestry and detailed instances where she reported educational accomplishments there was no evidence she had achieved. Thanks to the federal government and the white supremacy built into the Indian Act, the irony is that Indigenous identity was meant to define who was a “real Indian.” Except that made a total mess of it. First Nations’ knowledge systems are built on connections between communities and between us, with responsibilities to each other. If a so-called Indigenous community refuses its responsibilities to Indigenous neighbours, that’s the sign it’s not an Indigenous community. Ovide Mercredi was right, as usual, when he called for First Nations to return to our tribes and to ignore the federal government-enforced construct of 631 separate First Nations. When I introduce myself as Taku River Tlingit, my tribe is the 39,000 Tlingit across northwest North America. But I have to claim just one community according to the federal government, which messes up the connections between Tlingit communities. Even worse, the federal government demands status cards as proof of being a “real Indian.” It’s galling in light of the status card history of crossing off First Nations women for arbitrary reasons. The use of status cards to define First Nations individuals breaks the Supreme Court’s 2016 Daniels decision, which ruled that the line between status and non-status is so blurry it cannot be used to exclude individuals. The continued use of status cards upholds the federal government’s power and ironically messes up our knowledge systems, including roles, responsibilities, and belonging. Belonging is essential for mental wellness. It risks excluding thousands of us as ‘60s Scoop survivors, and individuals who refuse a status card on ethical grounds. Belonging to a community must be set by that community with grace, not with an externally-imposed card. It appears we are at a place where we need to separate belonging and Indigeneity. One can belong to a community but not be Indigenous. Community identity is sometimes defined as being born into a community with overlapping circles of cultural values and ways of seeing the world. Except, that every community marries in, adopts in, and invites in others with the understanding they belong. Except, that in discussions with thousands of people across this country on the deepest held values of one’s own culture, there were always more questions than answers. Identity cannot be based on accomplishment or knowledge (the ability to live off the land or knowing how to skin a deer) as that seems reductionist. Defining identity on values seems more like a restrictive church than a community. Indigenous identity cannot be limited to the experience of racism or trauma, as we are so much more than that. Reductionism risks the very value we share as 400 million Indigenous peoples around the world: community. Community is who we are to each other and with each other, not a test. Beware of any checklist or simplistic approach to defining identity. Indigenous identity is complicated. The evidence of this complexity can be seen in the fear Indigenous individuals and families, scared of being outed in the rush to stop pretendians. We must find ways to protect Indigenous individuals trying to reconnect and learn who they are. And we cannot allow a non-Indigenous organization to define who is Indigenous. Maybe one of the lasting impacts of genocide on some Indigenous peoples is our very secret fear that we’re not good enough, that we don’t belong. Wouldn’t that be just the most ironic thing: pretendians are so sure of themselves, and we are not? It is a symptom of genocide. We still need to stop pretendians. But let’s not risk the thousands of ‘60s Scoop survivors, the individuals who refuse to carry a status card, and the thousands of Indigenous individuals and families who feel they don’t belong. Yet. Rose LeMay is a '60s Scoop Survivor. Her mother comes from Taku River Tlingit First Nation in British Columbia and her father from Carcross Tagish First Nation in the Yukon. The Hill Times

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What to do with pretendians

Beware of any checklist or simplistic approach to defining identity. Indigenous identity is complicated.

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