Elizabeth Hoover apologizes for false Indigenous identity
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Olga R. Rodriguez
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — An anthropology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose identity as Native American had been questioned for years apologized this week for falsely identifying as Indigenous, saying she is “a white person" who lived an identity based on family lore.
Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, said in an apology posted on her website that she claimed an identity as a woman of Mohawk and Mi’kmaq descent but never confirmed that identity with those communities or researched her ancestry until recently.
“I caused harm,” Hoover wrote. “I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students, and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms. This hurt has also interrupted student and faculty life and careers. I acknowledge that I could have prevented all of this hurt by investigating and confirming my family stories sooner. For this, I am deeply sorry.”
Hoover’s alleged Indigenous roots came into question in 2021 after her name appeared on an “Alleged Pretendian List." The list compiled by Jacqueline Keeler, a Native American writer and activist, includes more than 200 names of people Keeler says are falsely claiming Native heritage.
Hoover first addressed doubts about her ethnic identity last year when she said in an October post on her website that she had conducted genealogical research and found “no records of tribal citizenship for any of my family members in the tribal databases that were accessed.”
Her statement caused an uproar, and some of her former students authored a letter in November demanding her resignation. The letter was signed by hundreds of students and scholars from UC Berkeley and other universities along with members of Native American communities. It also called for her to apologize, stop identifying as Indigenous and acknowledge she had caused harm among other demands.
LINK TO SEEDED ARTICLE: https://ictnews.org/news/elizabeth-hoover-apologizes-for-false-indigenous-identity
OFF-TOPIC COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT WARNING.
Another pretendian from the Wannabe Tribe, that tribe is getting bigger by the day.
What in the hell makes people do stupid shit like this in a high-profile job?
ego
Her ego just cost her any credibility she had in the native and academic community and hopefully her job as well.
the only documented NA in my family was on my mom's side back in the late 1600's. there was a lot of rumors about NA blood on my dad's side, apparently since members of that family would sleep with anybody, but I think after they were asked to leave the south due to improper race mixing in the late 1800's, any kind of paper trail was frowned on. NA blood on the family DNA pie chart I saw was less than 1%, the smallest slice. the bulk of the family pie chart was made up of scots/micks, guineas, and eastern europeans.
My ex-wife's family always claimed Choctaw heritage. Her mother was born in Texarkana so it kind of made sense. When my son had his 23 and me done it came back with 0 NA ancestry. I don't think there was any massive conspiracy here. I think they really believed it to be true.
name anyone white from that generation/background without some relative claiming some obscure NA heritage. IMO it was a kind of psychological projection based upon the increased spread of the newest version of social media du jour, television, and the dominant types of prime time series, westerns.
She chose a different ethnic identity as others chose different gender identities.
In this case she took away a chance for a Native to fill that position and also took advantage of other perks that she did not deserve and a job that could have gone to a Native that worked hard for it.
Why the schools don't make all those that ck the box prove that they are native is beyond me. The same is done on government contracts with natives.
Maybe they just want the box checked.
I can understand giving member status on the basis of "how one lives". That "one drop of blood" has caused so much damage.
But that status should be given later rather than sooner.
As I noted in comment 2.1 a self identifying ck mark should never be accepted. It isn't that difficult to prove native status.
In addition, she worked at Berkeley where it seems anything goes these days. It is probably safe to assume she was not even vetted by the University.
They work hard to weed out any conservatives or capitalists.
I certainly believe that.
So what should be the criteria? "A single drop" used to make a person Black. That was pretty terrible.
Does a person with lots of Native American genes... but who has always lived a an Anglo qualify? What really gives identity?
As a teenager, I identified with Last of the Mohicans. I also leaned from mescaline and peyote and always loved a sauna. Perhaps that is enough to qualify me.
Yes, she did work at Berkely but in other instances the wannabes where in politics, entertainment and acdemia.
Yes, they would qualify. There are several ways, starting with are they an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe. Do they have a CIBC (certified Indian Blood Card) federally issued. tribal enrollment card are the quickest, of course, a blood test which will give you what % Indian DNA you have but cannot tell the tribe that you are from. If your family is on the Dawes Rolls of the late 1800s and or other government rolls.
Most tribes require that you have a certain amount of indian blood before you qualify (the US gov established this to eliminate the Indian race) most require 25% our band requires at least 50% which is being dropped to 25% and your must be able to trace your parents and an unbroken line of family members to the Red Lake Band. Our band is unique in that is one of only two bands in the US that live on a ''closed reservation'' which means all land is owned in comment with the tribe and for anyone outside of the Red Lake band cannot live there unless given special permission it also has a lot to do with various laws we are subject to or not subject to as the case may be.
A sauna would qualify you to be Finnish.
Not functionally different from a sweat lodge.
Sounds like a lot of bureaucracy to keep people from being who they feel.
This is not a political article but since you've brought it up let me point this out to you...The US Government is no different than the collages, it is check the box (self ID) when bidding on contracts. This has been abused by both parties numerous times. The Speaker of the House for the Republicans, Kevin McCarthy in-laws claimed that they were members of an unknown branch of the Cherokee tribe that has never existed in history and were awarded $4 million in contracts and ''drum roll please'' they were in Kevin's district. The LA Times did a great story on this.
So, end the political bs and stick with the story and what the cost is to the real victims, Native Americans.
Thank you
Perhaps the power of the government is by its nature, corrupting.
OK. Thanks for the information.
Your welcome.
Agreed.
I was raised by my maternal grandmother who was part Chiricahua Apache. Having grown up in Mexico just below the Arizona border, she had no tribal papers and did not feel she needed any in the late 1800's and early 20th century. I know that I have Native American heritage but have no papers saying otherwise and the morals and ethics that keep me from trying to wrongly benefit from it like that woman did
I’ll bet that your grandmother was very special and very smart.
That she most certainly was. I still miss her terribly even to this day.
I know how you feel. My mother died of cancer when I was three and I was largely raised by my grandmother and great grandmother.
My grandmother died of stomach cancer in 1979 at age 82. Less than six months before she passed she remained active and always walked the grocery store almost every day because she never learned to drive and never wanted to despite my mother offering to teach her.
She sounds like a strong, resilient lady.
Yep, onery and stubborn as a Missouri mule but with a heart of gold!
Arvo... and by the sounds of it you have both done your mum's, grandmothers and great grandmothers proud..🌺
Now-a-days it seems to be whatever pronouns you choose for your self!
(Then there are thos who identify as "he, she, Them"...)
These are the shooting yourself in the dick moments that the Dems can’t afford
WTF?
Biden and the Dems cannot afford shit like this this year.
How is this on Biden and the Dems.?
Must be the first name …..
Or her last name...(apparently Ms. Hoover has been living in a vacuum-- all these years!)
lol …nice
Good one!
But, she has finally come unplugged and the baggage needs to be sucked up and dumped.
Never rely on "family lore" to determine your ethnic/cultural background. Get a DNA test done to be sure
Yeah. that family lore stuff is usually totally wrong the DNA test is the best.
Our family lore was, ''hey dad why do we live on a rez?'' Cuz we're Indians dumb ass. But misnomis (grandpa) said there might have been a Viking in the woodpile. Misnomis said that? don't pay attention to misnomis, he's been spending too much time in the sweat lodge.
See this card, Kavika? it's your Certified Indian Blood Card that says you're 100% Indian and if the government certifies you, you are an Indian. It's just like when they certify beef with USDA. W ow pops I have a government check mark on my butt so I'm really Indian...No, Kavika that's a birthmark. Geez kid you sure you're not white?
No, Kavika you don't wear it on your forehead, Geez give it back to me.
Just another day on the rez with pops.
Our family lore... my grandmother said she was part Blackfoot. Her father (my great grandfather) said she was full of shit. My great grandfather also said we were Black Irish AND descended from a Dutch King and a black slave. I think he was pulling my leg there as well.
It's a mystery to me why people think they should, or can, get away with misappropriating their identities. From being indigenous to faking military rank they kind of poke a finger in the eye of everyone else.
Some believe that you are what you feel.
I agree, it boggles the mind that they do it and then think they won't get caught.
Just take a look at how many men claim to be women and vise versa. When little is said and it celebrated, it's only a matter of time before demographics like NA or others are included.
The rise of the 'Pretendians'. The number of people who identify as Native American on the U.S. Census has soared in recent years. In 1960, the census reflected 562,000 Native Americans, by 2020, they had grown to 9.7 million. That's some serious childbearing.
Maybe this identification is a way to cope with white man's guilt for if I'm NA, you can't blame me for stealing the land and enslaving Blacks. Given that, call me Anoki Canowicakte.
Actually, it is very explainable. In 1900 there were only 237,000 NAs left alive in America, it's probably low since many natives would not ID as natives to stay alive. We also have a high birthrate and when the COVID hit the enrollment in tribes skyrocketed you are a real Indian if you are enrolled in a tribes because they do not accept check the box wannabes. Next is the number of of immigrants that are Indigenous, coming from Central and South America and the Caribbean. So, no the numbers are not surprising at all and you can expect them to grow at a much faster rate than non Indians.
Thanks.
I wonder if they have the necessary paperwork.
What paperwork are you talking about, proof of being Indian or immigration paperwork?
Proof of being indigenous.
I doubt it, since they are not applying for tribal membership there is no need they can self ID and there is no doubt they are Indian. For example in LA the area known as ''Little Korea or Koreatown'' has more indigenous people from Mexico than Koreans they are all Oaxacans, and speak their own indigenous language not Spanish and there are some great Oaxacan restaurants in the area.
Thanks, we have some restaurants in the DC area that bill themselves as Oaxacan, I like the several I've been to but have no way to really know how authentic they are.
And then there's Ward Churchill and Elizabeth Warren -
Churchill was hired under a “ special opportunity ” position based on his claimed Indian heritage. Similarly, Warren benefited from her fake ancestry, with her being promoted as a “ woman of color ” by Harvard many times throughout the 1990s, as well as listing herself as a Native American in a professional law directory in the 1980s.
Unfortunately, it has and is happening in many places.
Another prominent politician was embroiled in a controversy over false claims of Cherokee heritage. William Wages, the brother-in-law of House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, received $7.6 million in no-bid federal contracts by claiming to be Cherokee. But, as the Times reported, Wages has no documented Cherokee ancestry and, other than an uncorroborated tale of a Cherokee great-great-grandma, is white.
Pretendians “compound the stereotypical imagery, name and behaviors and further misconceptions about Native people,” says Suzan Harjo, a member of the Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee nations, who is an award-winning columnist for Indian Country Today and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Harjo has spent years fighting pretendians like defamed author and academic Ward Churchill, visual artist Jimmie Durham and the Washington D.C. professional football team apologist Rita Sentz, known widely as Princess Pale Moon Rose. By claiming indigeneity without the recognition of Native nations, pretendians undermine a core tenant of tribal sovereignty: the ability for tribes to determine citizenship. “They are attacking the sovereignty of Native nations to select citizens and set citizenship standards,” Harjo said. “They are attacking Native citizens ourselves and trying to replace us.”
And then, of course,
Are You Are a Pretend Indian?
You might be a pretendian if you write “high cheekbones,” as proof of tribal citizenship when you’re applying for a job.
You might be a pretendian if Stands-with-a-Fist is your personal role model.
You might be a pretendian if both of your parents immigrated from Germany.
You might be a pretendian if you’re in need of a dreamcatcher intervention.
You might be a pretendian if you belong to a tribe that collects dues or is a registered non-profit organization.
You might be a pretendian if your grandmother never even met your supposed Indian ancestor.
You might be a pretendian if you carry war paint in your purse.
You might be a pretendian if you think blood quantum is measured in electron-volts.
You might be a pretendian if you have a wolf as a pet.
You might be a pretendian if you wear your regalia to the gym to work out in.
You might be a pretendian if you take selfies during sweats.
You might be a pretendian if you buy black hair dye by the case.
You might be a pretendian if you feel entitled and expect Native people to sublet their intellectual property to you without a deposit.
You might be a pretendian if at Thanksgiving you say “the Native Americans used EVERY part of the sacred turkey.”
You might be a pretendian if you really, really love horses but haven’t actually ever ridden one.
You might be a pretendian if Disney’s Pocahontas is your role model.
You might be a pretendian if you’ve legally changed your name from “Weissvogel” to “White Eagle Soaring.”
You might be a pretendian if you burn to a crisp in ten minutes of strong moonlight.
You might be a pretendian if your star quilt was bought at Target or has Chewbacca on it.
You might be a pretendian if you think immersing yourself in a rich, cultural experience means bathing in a bathtub full of yogurt.
You might be a pretendian if you think “Idle No More” is a 12-step anger support group.
You might be a pretendian if you’ve downloaded a compass app to your phone so you’ll always know the four directions.
You might be a pretendian if you think you are better at being Native than any other Native person in history.
You might be a pretendian if you measure your blood quantum by Starbucks cup sizes: short, tall, grande, venti.
You might be a pretendian if you cried during the movie “Avatar.”
You might be a pretendian if you’ve had a tanning bed membership since 1992 and buy self-tanning lotion by the case.
You might be a pretendian if you find your car at the mall’s parking lot by following your trail of turquoise and abalone.
You might be a pretendian if you say “aho” when getting your SUV detailed, and “in that good way” during meetings with your financial consultant.
You might be a pretendian if you smudge yourself in front of the Land ‘O Lakes butter aisle at the grocery store.
You might be a pretendian if you think sleeping with a Native person makes you Native by proximity.
And????
JMHO
This is perfect, the coach of the R...skins was ''Lone Star Dietz a Lakota Indian some NT members jumped all over that as a good reason never to change the name a few years ago. As usual no knowledge of the person, in reality, he was 100% white (German) born in Wisconsin which was what his birth certificate stated. Later on he was tried by the US government for impersonating an Indian to escape the draft into the military...
LMAO I renamed those members, ''Egg on the Face'' and '' I Know Nothing''