Tribal Alliance Against Frauds
Founded2022 (2022)
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
HeadquartersNorth Carolina, US
Members
50+
Executive director
Lianna Costantino
Websitetribalallianceagainstfrauds.org

The Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to exposing individuals and organizations that have falsely claimed to be American Indian, as well as to educating the public on the harms to American Indian sovereignty caused by identity fraud. The organization employs certified experts in American Indian genealogy to conduct genealogical investigations of individuals who have profited from fraudulent claims of American Indian heritage.[1]

About

TAAF is based in Cherokee, North Carolina. It was founded in May, 2022. According to the organization's official website, their mission is to investigate and expose non-American Indian people who "falsely represent American Indian cultures, histories, and spiritual practices and/or falsely claim American Indian identity as individuals for profit or fame." People who falsely claim to be American Indians are often referred to as "Pretendians". The organization conducts lengthy and detailed investigations, using certified genealogists who are experts in American Indian genealogy. Lianna Costantino, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is the organization's co-founder and executive director. TAAF has published over a dozen investigations, including exposés of Owl Goingback, Martha Redbone, Heather Rae, Allison Hedge Coke, Erika T. Wurth, John Lowe, Gail Beth Hart Rando, Patrick Del Percio, Kent Patrick Blansett, Raymond J. Pierotti, Jay Truman Johnson, Mashu White Feather, Robert Lovelace, and Sami Chen. TAAF does not expose individuals who falsely believe they have American Indian heritage based on "unfounded family lore", unless they profit from those false claims or otherwise harm American Indians. Individuals who are under investigation are contacted first by TAAF to give them an opportunity to clarify or substantiate their American Indian heritage claims. In addition to their published findings, TAAF also maintains a list of several hundred suspected "Pretendians" who are in the process of being investigated.[2]

Investigations

In March, 2023, TAAF issued a highly publicized report that Heather Rae, known as a leading producer in American Indian circles in Hollywood, had fraudulently claimed to be of Cherokee descent.[3] TAAF called for Rae to resign from her positions at American Indian organizations. In response, Rae stated in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that she had "began to really look into my family’s history in a deeper way" and was "still in that process, so for several years I have identified as an ally."[4]

In June, 2023, TAAF published their findings that the writer Owl Goingback (born James Russel Heidbrink) was an "ethnic fraud...of European ancestry" who had falsely claimed both Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry. According to court records, he legally changed his name from James Heidbrink to Owl Goingback in 2000. TAAF produced statements from both tribes saying he wasn't a citizen, as well as a genealogical family tree demonstrating that his ancestors were all white. In response, Goingback admitted that he is not a citizen of any American Indian tribe, but claimed TAAF had "no authority" to request authentication of his claims to American Indian heritage.[2]

In July, 2023, TAAF published findings demonstrating that Kent Patrick Blansett, a professor of Indigenous Studies and History at the University of Kansas had fraudulently claimed to be of Potawatomi, Shawnee, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Muscogee ancestry. A genealogical tree going back six generations that was created by TAAF found no evidence of American Indian ancestry.[5][6]

In November, 2023, TAAF published findings demonstrating that Qwo-Li Driskill (born Paul Edward Driskell), an associate professor at Oregon State University, had falsely claimed to be of Osage, Lenape, Lumbee, and Cherokee heritage. Driskill claimed to be a non-enrolled descendant of American Indians, but TAAF's report concluded that Driskell has no American Indian ancestry. TAAF requested that OSU fire Driskell unless they made a public apology for their false claims.[7][8]

In October, 2023, TAAF published their findings that the writer Erika T. Wurth had falsely claimed Apache, Chickasaw, and Cherokee ancestry and stated that Wurth had fabricated an American Indian identity for "personal gain". TAAF's report states that "Wurth's family were white settlers" and that "NONE were American Indian". In response, Wurth's literary agent alleged that TAAF employs "tools of manipulation and unwarranted persecution of Native Americans".[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Professor's ancestral claims fall under scrutiny". Albany Democrat-Herald. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Native American Activists Exposing Celebrity 'Race-Fakers'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hollywood producer accused of faking Cherokee ancestry". The Guardian. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Producer Heather Rae Addresses Native Heritage Controversy: "For Several Years I Have Identified as an Ally" (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  5. ↑ "3 KU professors are accused of faking Native American ancestry. But it's complicated". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Chief of Shawnee Tribe says KU professor falsely claims Indian descent". The Sentinel. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ "OSU professor accused of falsely claiming Native American ancestry". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Oregon State Professor Accused of Falsely Claiming Native Ancestry". Oregon State University. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
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