Pretendians

Definition

Pretendian is a blending of the words ” pretend ” and “Indian”, used for people who take on Indigenous identities, sometimes also referred to as Indigenous identity fraud. CBC reporter Riley Yesno was reporting on fake Indigenous Art and talked about pretendians.  “[…]non-Indigenous individuals and businesses who have taken on Indigenous identities and aesthetics. These people are often called “pretendians” by those immersed in the issue.” (Yesno, 2022).

Pretendians always seem to be popping up in the news, whether it’s in the arts or academia. One that comes up in discussion is former professor Carrie Bourassa, who claimed to be Anishinaabe Métis, and is now seen as the “modern-day grey owl” (Leo, 2021). Shifting ancestry claims sparked suspicion, which led to the discovery that there were no Indigenous people in her family tree (Leo, 2021). More recently, author Thomas King came out as non-Indigenous (The Canadian Press, 2025). He worked with a U.S. organization called Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF), and they found no Cherokee heritage in his family (The Canadian Press, 2025).

Impacts

Indigenous identity fraud undermines Indigenous rights to “self-determination including the right to define our citizens” (Indigenous Identity Fraud, 2026, para. 19). Indigenous identity fraud takes resources designated for Indigenous Peoples, further eroding economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples who have historically had land and resources taken. Both of these factors further deteriorate relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

In the documentary The Pretendians, Indigenous author Drew Hayden Taylor tries to figure out why there are so many Pretendians. He remarks “[s]o why has there been such an explosion of new status claims? That’s a hotly contested question, but after my research, I’ve come up with several reasons. First, the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshal decision granted expanded fishing and hunting rights to Natives. If you’re white, wouldn’t you want those rights? Second, white settler guilt. As more Canadians question how their ancestors have treated Native people and their land claims, more folks are seeking to be on the Indigenous side. And third, benefits. To deal with historic injustices, tax, education and job subsidies have been granted to Native People to try and even the playing field.” (Kemp & Taylor, 2022, 18:00). 

Citizenship & membership in a Canadian context

Canada recognizes and regulates First Nations, Métis, and Inuit rights differently from one another. Additionally, each Nation within each group also determines their own citizenship criteria. For example, Indian Status rights are regulated by Canada under the Indian Act through Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), but First Nations bands can determine their own citizenship through membership codes as stipulated in Section 10 of the Indian Act. Provincial Métis governments maintain citizenship registries in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. And Inuit rights are regulated through regional land claim agreements and treaties. As a result of the complicated colonial structures that Canada utilizes to recognize members of each group, there are varying levels of disagreement between and within First Nation, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) groups on who is and is not a citizen. For example, before 1985 a non-Indigenous woman could gain Status when marrying a registered Status Indian man, while women with Indian Status marrying non-Indigenous men lost their Status (Indian Status, n.d.). Today, this can result in non-Indigenous people with Indian Status and citizenship through band lists that are regulated from community to community as outlined in a Membership Code (Membership Codes, n.d.).  

Central to the question of pretendians and Indigenous identity fraud are our responsibilities to our communities and our relatives. While we acknowledge that these are inherently complex questions that need to be answered by Indigenous communities, we all share the responsibility to do our due diligence in the places we can. We do not expect everyone to perfectly understand Indigenous identity, however we all share in the responsibility to listen, to educate ourselves, and to act where and when appropriate.

When reflecting on identity, it is important to be mindful that who the state recognizes as Indigenous may differ from how Indigenous Peoples recognize themselves. Learning about the complexities of Indigenous Peoples in each political and geographic space is an important step in the research journey.

International Indigenous Peoples

While this book focuses on Indigenous Information Literacy from a Canadian perspective, Indigenous Peoples can be found across the globe. Remember that Indigenous Peoples experiences are diverse and complex, and as such, concerns related to identity and recognition are also diverse and complex.