Holding Our Ground: Voices and Strategies Against Self-Indigenization

A Hybrid Symposium

Event Date & Time

Wed, Mar 18 - Thu, Mar 19, 2026 | All day

Event Location

McNamara Alumni Center

200 SE Oak St
Minneapolis, MN 55455

This two-day, hybrid symposium will convene leading experts, community members, and "first responders" to the global issue of self-Indigenization, particularly in the form of “Indigenous ethnic fraud,” or “pretendianism,” as it is referred to in North America.

The symposium will be held in Minneapolis, on the traditional homelands of the Dakota people, who were imprisoned and eventually exiled in 1863 to aid settler appropriation of “Minnesota,” a word also taken from the Dakota. On top of seizing land, US citizens have for centuries "played Indian" via sports mascots and appropriating Native nation names and iconography in scouting and in industries including the military. In the twenty-first century, we see ballooning numbers of US citizens make mythological claims to belong to Native lineages and nations. Some capitalize on those claims to appropriate Indigenous resources and opportunities, and to seize governance of institutions. We see an obviously violent example of self-Indigenization in the Department of “Homeland Security” whose agents seize governance of these lands, terrorize, imprison, and threaten to exile. As multiple forms of self-Indigenization converge, not all are grasped as violent, yet they combine to further colonial extraction.

Extractive self-Indigenization, including Indigenous ethnic fraud, not only targets American Indians, but also First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada; and global Indigenous communities in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, and elsewhere. This symposium will bring participants together to engage in critical discussions, learn from one another, and discuss actionable strategies to disrupt this global problem.

For general inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Addressing Indigenous Ethnic Fraud Across Sectors

An urgent conversation

Discussion topics

Diverse perspectives

Opportunity to be interviewed for a documentary film

We strongly believe that personal accounts are integral to combating the rising tide of cultural theft: Native people bravely telling their stories and sharing their fraught personal experiences, helping to illuminate for the world at large the seriousness of this issue and the toll it takes on Native peoples.

In that spirit, we are partnering with the makers of an upcoming feature documentary on self-Indigenization. The symposium will host a private on-site forum where anyone who has been affected personally by this issue can share their stories on camera. We hope to hear from professionals in many fields, students, academics, and community members. Sit with us in a welcoming space and make your voice heard.

Make an appointment to be interviewed.
Contact co-director Cedar Sherbert at [email protected] with questions.

Pricing and Registration

Tiered Pricing

Type of attendance	Price
In person*	$200
Online via Zoom*	$125
Student (student ID required)	$25
Book event add-on (separate registration)	$50

*Community members (non-professional) and un(der)employed: Email us at [email protected] to indicate your situation and request a complimentary registration.

Schedule

All times in Central Daylight Savings Time (CDT, UTC-5, Minneapolis)

Conference registration includes lunch on both days. Vegan and gluten-free meal options will be available.

Day 1

Time	Topic and Presenter
8:00 – 8:30	Coffee and pastries
8:30 – 8:45	Traditional Welcome Londel Seaboy (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate)
8:45 – 9:05	Symposium Introduction & Framing: Self-indigenization as a Global Problem: Towards Institutional Verification Procedures Presenter: Kim TallBear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota
9:05 – 9:15	A Special Announcement Audra Simpson (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Nation), Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University
9:15 – 10:45	Panel 1: Tribal Leaders on Citizenship & Sovereignty Moderator: Amber Annis (Cheyenne River Lakota), Executive Director, Native Governance Center, Minneapolis Panelists: Benjamin Barnes (Shawnee), Chief, the Shawnee Tribe Zechariah Harjo, Secretary of the Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation
10:45 – 11:00	Break
11:00 – 12:30	Panel 2: Testimonies Of Harm in the Academy & Beyond Moderator: Iyekiyapiwiƞ Darlene St. Clair (Lower Sioux Indian Community), Indigenous Research Professor, College of Education, University of Minnesota Panelists: Dawn Blanchard, (Omaha Nation, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Tribal Liaison, Explore Minnesota Brian Haley, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, The State University of New York, Oneonta Margaret Moss (Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation), Professor and Associate Dean for Nursing & Health Policy, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch
1:30 – 2:30	Keynote Address: Why Indigenous Identity Fraud Happens So Often in Universities Presenter: Chris Andersen (“post-provincialist” Métis), Vice Provost and Dean, College of Social Sciences & Humanities, University of Alberta Introduction by Jean O’Brien (White Earth Ojibwe Nation), Regents Professor of History and American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota The keynote will be presented over Zoom, including on a large screen for symposium attendees onsite at McNamara Alumni Center.
2:30 – 4:30	Panel 3: Odanak Abenaki Tribal Council on Self-Indigenization in Vermont Moderator: Nick Estes (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe), Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota Panelists: Daniel G. Nolett (Abenaki of Odanak), Executive Director, Odanak Abenaki Tribal Council, "Overview of Abenaki History and Families" Jacques T. Watso (Abenaki of Odanak), Elected Councillor, Abenaki Abenaki Tribal Council, "Origins of Vermont 'Abenaki' State Recognition" Tim de la Bruere (Abenaki of Odanak), Vermont Resident, "A Vermont View of the Fake Abenaki Tribes" Suzie O’Bomsawin (Abenaki of Odanak), Assistant Executive Director, Odanak Abenaki Tribal Council, "Recent Abenaki Political and Legal Strategies" Darryl Leroux, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa, "The Harms of Academic Pretendians: Analyzing Lisa Brooks' Work Legitimizing the Fake Abenaki"
4:30 – 4:45	Closing and Reflections on Day 1 Presenter: Jessica Lopez Lyman, Assistant Professor of Chicano & Latino Studies, University of Minnesota
6:00 – 8:00	Symposium Dinner and Book Event (details below)

Day 2

Title	Topic and Presenter
8:00 – 8:30	Coffee and pastries
8:30 – 10:00	Panel 4: Breaking: The Role of the Media in Resisting Self-Indigenization Moderator: Candis Callison (Tāłtān Nation), Professor, School of Public Policy & Global Affairs, University of British Columbia Panelists: Graham Brewer (Cherokee Nation), National Reporter on Race & Ethnicity, Associated Press Julia Furukawa, Host, All Things Considered, New Hampshire Public Radio Danielle Paradis (Métis Nation of Alberta), Assistant Professor of Journalism, MacEwan University
10:00 – 11:30	Panel 5: Conversation with Cherokee Scholars on Sovereignty & Identity Moderator: Daniel Heath Justice (Cherokee Nation), Professor of English and Critical Indigenous Studies, University of British Columbia Panelists: Patti Jo King (Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma) Professor Emerita, Bacone College Michael Lambert (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Commissioner, North Carolina Commission on Indian Affairs and professor emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill America Meredith (Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma), Artist, Curator, Art Critic
11:30 – 12:30	Lunch
12:30 – 2:00	Panel 6: Archival Methodologies & Sovereignty Moderator: David Delgado Shorter, Professor of World Arts & Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles, and Editor-In-Chief, American Indian Culture & Research Journal (AICRJ) Panelists: Gordon Henry (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), Distinguished Visting Professor, Humanities Center and English, Northeastern University Jacqueline Keeler (Navajo Nation), Independent Journalist Candessa Tehee (Cherokee Nation), Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, and Associate Professor of Cherokee & Indigenous Studies, Northeastern State University of Oklahoma
2:00 – 3:30	Panel 7: Legal Challenges & Strategies in Resisting Self-Indigenization Moderator: Jody TallBear (Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), Attorney Panelists: Angelique EagleWoman (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), professor of law and director, Native American Law & Sovereignty Institute, Mitchell Hamline School of Law Sarai Cook (Muscogee Creek Nation), Attorney, 6Directions Law Leah Ballantyne (Mathias Colomb Cree Nation), LLB, LLM Donna Chrisjohn (Sicangu Lakota and Diné), Paralegal and Independent Consultant Attendees can earn 1.5 CLE credits, reference code: 544200. Email [email protected] to sign up.
3:30 – 5:00	Panel 8: Going Beyond Indigenous Self-identification: Institutional & State Policy Responses Moderator: Amy Lonetree (Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin), Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz Panelists: Phenocia Bauerle (Apsáalooke [Crow Tribe]), Director, Native American Student Development & Native American Thriving Initiatives, University of California, Berkeley Angela M. Jaime (Pit River Tribe), Vice Provost, Indigenous Engagement, University of Saskatchewan Celeste Pedri-Spade (Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation), Associate Provost, Indigenous Initiatives, McGill University
5:00 – 5:15	Traditional Closing Michael Migizi Sullivan (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe), Board Member and Vice Chair, Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network

Cover of the book "Who Gets to Be Indian?" by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

Author Conversation: Who Gets to Be Indian?

Introduction by Stuart McLean, Chair of Anthropology and Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, University of Minnesota.

Panelists: Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes direct descendant), Lecturer in American Indian Studies, California State University San Marcos, and author of Who Gets to be Indian? Ethnic Fraud and Other Difficult Conversations about Native American Identity in conversation with Audra Simpson (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Nation), Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University.

This is an optional add-on dinner event open to both conference attendees and others. Vegetarian and gluten-free meal options are available.

Cost: $50

Wednesday, March 18

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Pillsbury Hall Attic, room 412

Disability Accommodations

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided by LingoForce.

Some accommodation requests may take us time to arrange, so please make requests for this event by Wednesday, March 4, 2026. If you are registering after this date, please still reach out to us so we can explore available options. Contact: [email protected].

Sponsors & Support

Presented by the Department of American Indian Studies.

Cosponsors:

We are seeking support to assist with the cost of travel, accommodations, and honoraria for the speakers who will join us from across the United States and Canada. Any amount would be much appreciated, and once we have a final list of co-sponsors, we will include you in the flyer and announcements about the workshop, unless you requested otherwise.

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