Thursday, February 10, 2005

Professor a Fake Indian?

Well, it seems as if the more attention University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill gets, the more he looks like a kook. According to numerous sources, he isn't an Indian after all despite his claims to Indian heritage. Here's what the American Indian Movement says:

The sorry part of this is Ward Churchill has fraudulently represented himself as an Indian, and a member of the American Indian Movement, a situation that has lifted him into the position of a lecturer on Indian activism. He has used the American Indian Movement's chapter in Denver to attack the leadership of the official American Indian Movement with his misinformation and propaganda campaigns.

Ward Churchill has been masquerading as an Indian for years behind his dark glasses and beaded headband. He waves around an honorary membership card that at one time was issued to anyone by the Keetoowah Tribe of Oklahoma. Former President Bill Clinton and many others received these cards, but these cards do not qualify the holder a member of any tribe. He has deceitfully and treacherously fooled innocent and naïve Indian community members in Denver, Colorado, as well as many other people worldwide. Churchill does not represent, nor does he speak on behalf of the American Indian Movement.


In a press report, the Keetoowah themselves are said to disavow him:

The United Keetoowah Band Cherokee says University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill is not a member of their tribe. ...

In his books and articles, Churchill has described himself as a member of the Keetoowah Cherokee tribe in Oklahoma. In past interviews, he's claimed to be one-sixteenth Cherokee.

But the Keetoowah say that's not true.

According to the same report, a former student publicized the apparent fact that Churchill isn't an Indian after all, only to have Churchill lower her grade from an A to a C-minus.

According to another report, the Oneida Indian Nation said:

It's disturbing that anyone would use such hateful speech, and do so while claiming to be an American Indian when there is significant evidence that he is not. Professor Churchill caused many in the media to falsely believe an American Indian scholar could besmirch the lives of those who died on 9/11. Because of this, he owes every American Indian an apology.

This report continues:

At various times, according to press reports, Churchill has described himself as Cherokee, Keetoowah Cherokee, Muskogee, Creek and most recently Meti. In a note in the online magazine Socialism and Democracy he wrote, ''Although I'm best known by my colonial name, Ward Churchill, the name I prefer is Kenis, an Ojibwe name bestowed by my wife's uncle.'' ...

Suzan Shown Harjo, a columnist for [Indian Country Today] who has tracked Churchill's career, said that aside from the in-laws of his late Indian wife, he has not been able to produce any relatives from any Indian tribe.

Exposure of Churchill as a fraud, in addition to being an idiot, is all over the press and the internet. Pick your source; most say approximately the same things. How much more does the University of Colorado need to know before they fire him?

And who knows; there could be more to come. Perhaps memories of spending Christmas eve on a boat in Cambodia are "seared, seared" into his mind.

But wait! Apparently he overstates his Vietnam combat experience, too. Seems to be a lot of that going around recently. Ah well, icing on the cake.

3 Comments:

Blogger sygamel said...

According to the same report, a former student publicized the apparent fact that Churchill isn't an Indian after all, only to have Churchill lower her grade from an A to a C-minus.If Churchill is not in fact an Indian, then if proven this is the sort of situation I was referring to as poor "performance on the job" that would be grounds for firing him.

8:11 AM, February 10, 2005  
Blogger sygamel said...

Now I am hearing he taught groups how to build bombs. If that is true that alone should be grounds....for indictment

8:29 PM, February 10, 2005  
Blogger Tom Carter said...

I didn't hear about the bomb-building, but it doesn't surprise me. I'm with Scott...fire him, and indict him.

2:40 AM, February 11, 2005  

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