“We do see a lot of cases of (Indigenous) identity fraud within post-secondary institutions … people who have attached themselves to getting research dollars for specifically Indigenous people”
There are “pretendians” among us — faux Indigenous Canadians taking positions, opportunities and money meant for Indigenous people in the halls of learning, says Terri Cardinal.
Truth First: Identity Fraud & Cultural Exploitation in the Age of Reconciliation is likely the first of its kind to be solely dedicated to the topic.
“Unfortunately, we continue to see the unethical extraction of Indigenous knowledge by ‘pretendians’ and non-Indigenous researchers — and it is harmful,” said Cardinal, who is moderating the symposium along with Amber Dion, assistant professor of social work at MacEwan.
The two co-host the award-winning podcast 2 Crees in a Pod.
“Some don’t even recognize the harm that is being done, which is why we are engaging in an open dialogue to explore this topic,” she said.
‘Financial gain’
Cardinal recalled media images of Bourassa.
“She very much carried herself in lndigenous attire, and really took on the persona of this,” she said.
The topic of “pretendians” is an ongoing concern for Indigenous organizations, scholars and leaders, Cardinal said.
“We do see a lot of cases of (Indigenous) identity fraud within post-secondary institutions … people who have attached themselves to getting research dollars for specifically Indigenous people.
“There is a financial gain to being Indigenous in the time of reconciliation and that’s one of the conversations that we really want to engage in,” she said.
Additionally, there are individuals who have researched their family trees and may have discovered some great-great-great-grand was part Cree, “and then really latched on to that identity, exploiting it and causing real harm in the community, and so not having an understanding, and again, profiting off Indigenous knowledge,” she said.
“It’s that extraction that we’ve seen within Indigenous research and within Indigenous communities, which is just really unethical.
“We have people coming in, wanting the Indigenous professor positions, wanting the Indigenous grants, wanting to be experts in Indigenous research and exploiting it, and they’re not Indigenous,” she said.
Cardinal said she’s had horrible experiences with non-Indigenous individuals “who have extracted knowledge from our communities … essentially of benefiting off Indigenous people’s knowledge and then becoming an ‘expert’ on us, even though they’re not us, and really taking it and exploiting it, like a cult, almost, which I think is the harmful piece,” she said.
“This reminds me very much of Indian residential school, and it’s a different way of really impacting the lives of Indigenous people.”
Addressing the issue
Addressing Indigenous identity fraud requires having a process in place where those applying to a position that is in relation to Indigenous curriculum or knowledge may have to provide documentation.
Once awareness of Indigenous identity fraud is raised, it’s up to organizations and individuals to address the issue and to protect Indigenous people from such fraudsters, she said.
Cardinal envisions a Canada where Indigenous knowledge is just that — authentically Indigenous.
“Let’s bring back the authenticity of the Indigenous knowledge and the teachings from our elders and our communities back to the spaces, and we’ll see a difference. And when that happens, then, you know, you can move mountains,” she said.
Thursday’s speakers included Dr. Kim TallBear from the University of Alberta, Dr. Darryl Leroux from the University of Ottawa, and Dr. Celeste Pedri-Spade from McGill University.
“To truly walk the path of reconciliation at MacEwan, we must be intentional about how we honour our place in O-day’min,” said Dr. Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor of MacEwan University.
“Providing spaces for significant conversations to take place is one of the ways we contribute to this work,” Trimbee said.