Canada

I know lots of different types of "Indigenous" people of all shapes, types, colours and identities. I know full blooded Indigenous people who have no status for one reason or another. I know blonde, blue eyed obviously European blooded people will full status and fully recognized and integrated into their communities. I know people with mostly, partial or some Indigenous ancestry that constantly have to fight for recognition from government, the public and from their own communities and their own peers because they can't, won't or have a hard time getting any recognition.

So I know what it means to 'have room in our circle' for those who want to identify or are having a hard time one way or another.

I also know people who exploit Indigenous identity for their own personal gain .... Joseph Boyden is one of them and there is no room for him the circle .... at all.

He went up to James Bay coastal communities and basically collected unique stories from the area and rehashed them all into easy pulp fiction that he could make money on. He took the stories of families and made them his own and now he is benefiting from the life stories of people that were brutalized by war, racism and bigotry. To top it off ... he continually pushed his Native heritage to the point of purchasing high priced real estate in southern Ontario under the guise of being Indigenous. He basically bought a no-name status card from a fly by night pseudo Native organization who were all pushing white people to get Native status. This little legal loophole and arguing for Native recognition allowed him to purchase land that he otherwise couldn't without Native status.

The writing he produced basically jump started his career as a well paid writer and academic ... all under the merits of identifying as Indigenous. If he had hadn't, he would have ended up as just another half assed writer that wouldn't have made as much. As a half assed writer with Native ancestry ... he gets to become world renowned.

The reason why he should not be included in the circle is that he took advantage of the identity, made it his own, benefited off the grief and trauma of other people and made himself a fortune. He made money off the terrible lives of other people.

Then after his fame, he disappeared from Canada and now works in Louisiana where no one knows his background and people there are happy to keep calling him a great Canadian Native writer.

All this fortune is for himself and spends nothing in return to any Native groups back home. He supported a few things in the past but ever since the controversy, any activity he has in Canada has evaporated because it would just draw attention to the Pretendian that he is.

To me he is worse that the racists and bigots I had to deal with in my life .... he stole pieces of the spirit of people's lives and made money off them. That is way more despicable to me than anyone just being blatantly racist to my face.