‘Pretendian’ conference delves into how to deal with false claims of Indigenous identity – APTN News
Aug 10, 2023
More than 30 people attended a conference in Tsuut’ina, just outside of Calgary, to talk about the issues of people falsely claiming Indigenous identity. They have come to colloquially be called “Pretendians.”
Participants came from as far as Halifax to hear about how to deal with increasing false claims of Indigenous identity.
“You can’t be a part of the Indigenous community without being aware of the various people who pop up,” said Drew Hayden Taylor, who wrote an editorial after allegations that Joseph Boyden had been incorrectly claiming Indigenous identity.
Taylor is also the creator of a documentary called “The Pretendians” that looks at some of the reasons why people claim Indigenous identity.
He told APTN News that there are several reasons why people claim to be Indigenous.
