Pretendians

When a system is broken, you can work outside of it to create something new, or you can try to change it from within. But what happens when you need the system?

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CORRECTION: An earlier edit of this episode presented an incomplete criticism of the editorial focus of...

For over five years, Canadaland has been investigating Thunder Bay, Ontario. Specifically, we have been trying to figure out why there were so many unanswered questions around the deaths of Indigenous people in this one Ontario town.

We have looked at the cops. The schools. The courts. The  government. The people in the town itself. But we never looked at the coroners and the forensic pathologists who are a central part of...

Ryan McMahon and Jon Thompson team up with Cherise Seucharan for the conclusion to Post Mortem, a two-episode dive into the connection between the police, the coroners, and the canary in a coal mine for death investigations across the province.

Host: Jesse Brown 

Credits: Jon Thompson (Reporter), Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Ryan McMahon (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (S...

What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and thinkers have in common? They aren’t Indigenous.  

From major universities, to the halls of power, to Hollywood, there are people claiming to be Indigenous in the interest of power, money, and status. There are dozens of outrageous cases of Indigenous identity fraud that we know about, and likely thousands that we do not. 

So why ...

Why do people pretend to be Native? Hosts Robert Jago (Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe) Angel Ellis (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) begin their journey by asking someone who has been doing just that. 

He’s not just your average imposter – "Grand Chief" Guillaume Carle is the king of the “pretendians", a French Canadian who made a small fortune creating his own fake First Nation and issuing phony Indian Status Card...

Marvin "Casper" Ouimet was your ordinary terrifying Hells Angel mob boss until he was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit murder. That's where he declared himself to be Indigenous. The prison asked no questions, and granted him access to a special program for Native inmates, in which prisoners get private cells, spiritual guidance, better food and ultimately – reduced sentences. But what about the real Natives in these programs...

Oklahoma's Republican governor Kevin Stitt is a card-carrying member of the Cherokee Nation. So why is he also considered the most "anti-Native governor" in history? A look at his family history reveals some wild surprises, and shows how Indigenous identity can be used as a weapon against Native nations.

Pretendians cannot get made without you. For a limited time, become a Canadaland Supporter for just $2/month and get every epi...

What happens when Pretendian investigations go wrong? Robert talks to Jacqueline Keeler, the person behind the “Alleged Pretendians List". Then, he talks to Kiros Auld, whose name appeared on that controversial list. The problem? Kiros is legitimately Native.

Editors Note - An earlier version of this episode stated that "the Pamunkey Indian Tribe is the only federally recognized tribe in the state of Virginia" S...