Native American Wall of Infamy

10/22/2026

Always check into the sponsors of a conference. This group, “” isn’t a legitimate source to learn from. Conference attendees reported no native staff or presenters, and the felt it was just a space for misappropriation.

10/02/2026

Two Seattle area artists are facing federal charges for faking Native American heritage in order to sell counterfeit goods at galleries and gift shops. According to authorities, Lewis Anthony Rath claimed to be a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Jerry Chris Van D**e claimed membership in the Nez Perce Tribe. The pair sold totem poles, pendants, and masks that they claimed were authentic tribal artworks and each faces up to five years in prison: https://inter.st/ncft

09/26/2026

“Rossville Cherokee” only exists in their minds.

09/26/2026

A note on the common tactics used to defend identity fraud:

When non-tribal individuals are documented manufacturing Indigenous identities, defenders routinely rely on two predictable deflections rather than engaging primary evidence:

1. Characterizing Tribal Sovereignty as a "Witch Hunt" or "Purity Test": Verification of tribal citizenship is not a subjective social debate or a "blood quantum purity test." It is a matter of sovereign law and political status. When a sovereign Tribal Nation issues an official legal notice or Cease and Desist, upholding that action respects the inherent authority of that tribal government.

2. Discrediting Enrolled Native People to Protect Pretenders: When genealogical records and sovereign tribal decisions cannot be refuted, defenders turn their weapons on Native people. They actively attempt to smear, minimize, and invalidate enrolled Native writers, historians, researchers, and relatives who document the truth.

Tearing down Tribal citizens to insulate a non-Native fraud from accountability is not community solidarity—it is active participation in the erasure of tribal sovereignty.

Independent investigative reporting centers primary-source records, sovereign tribal governance, and historical accuracy. Comments attempting to derail primary documentation with personal attacks or anti-sovereign rhetoric will be treated accordingly.



Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1988-0708-307 / Kasper, Jan Peter / CC-BY-SA 3.0 DE

09/24/2026

"Ethnic fraud in Indian Country is not merely an act of individual self-fashioning; it is an extractive, anti-sovereign tactic designed to exploit the very mechanics of Native kinship."

In my newest dispatch, I look at how non-tribal individuals target traditional elders to build shields against genealogical scrutiny, gaslight tribal leadership when called out, and leverage academic credentials.

Features active primary-source investigation, tribal cease-and-desist documents, and deep-dive analysis.

🔗 https://jacquelinekeeler.substack.com/p/the-divide-and-conquer-grift-how?r=1dfuy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

09/18/2026

The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas and its leader Juan Mancias have established themselves as leaders in environmental causes including the DAPL pipeline protests and another oil and gas pipeline in Texas. Mancias is recognized by the U.N. and has worked hand-in-hand with several established envir...

08/06/2026

A woman who imported cheap Asian knockoffs and falsely sold them as authentic Navajo and Zuni jewelry on eBay has been sentenced in Phoenix federal court. DETAILS ⬇️

05/27/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/jacquelinekeeler/p/the-mexican-records-red-herring-a?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Three weeks ago in Minneapolis, Native American scholars and leaders met at the Holding Our Ground Symposium to call for more institutional accountability.

05/18/2026

We don’t need no stinking DNA tests.

29K likes, 15K comments. "The Problem with DNA Testing for Native American Heritage w/Shannon O'Loughlin | Joe Rogan"

05/04/2026

Why do people pretend to be Native American: the rise of pretendians

12 likes, 8 comments. "Why People Pretend to Be Native American | The Rise of Pretendians"