Indigenous Nations have always maintained their citizenship orders. They have always retained the right to determine who does and does not belong. We know who we are.
Grey Owl was an original ‘pretendian,’ portraying himself as the the son of a Scottish man and Apache woman after moving to Canada in the early 1900s.
(Canadian National Railways/Library and Archives Canada, e010861684)
Those quick to call-out are often not clamouring for Indigenous nations’ jurisdiction over citizenship, nor are they demanding “pretendians” be held accountable to Indigenous nations.
Diné College, founded as Navajo Community College in 1968, was the first tribal college in the U.S.
Courtesy Diné College
President Biden wants more funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities. An Indigenous scholar and professor of education explains why that’s critical for these schools to survive and thrive.
At the Navajo Nation town of Fort Defiance, Arizona, staff pack food boxes. The Navajo Nation now has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S.
Getty Images / Mark Ralston