Band Member Voices

November Culture Column - AWENEN A’AW — PRETENDIAN

By Nazhike, Mille Lacs Band Member

As Anishinaabe, our identity is sacred, passed down through generations, tied to the Manidoog, the land, and rooted in the culture of our ancestors. To be Anishinaabe is about responsi bility to our families, to our communities, and to the values that have sustained our people for centuries. This identity is carried with pride, but it also comes with challenges, especially as we navigate a world where our voices have long been silenced and our cultures misunderstood.

In recent years, we have seen the rise of people falsely claiming Indigenous identity, known as Pretendians. Whether it is for personal gain or a sense of belonging, their actions cause harm to Indigenous communities. These false claims often by pass the deep connection we have with our cultures and lands, ignoring the responsibilities that come with being Indigenous. While these actions may seem harmless to some, the impact runs deep.

Our identity is tied to sovereignty, the right of our nations to define who we are and what it means to belong and to determine and pursue our destiny. Pretendians, by claiming Indigenous identity without true connection to a community, under mine this sovereignty. They disregard the long-standing systems of kinship, membership, and community that our nations have maintained for generations. This can make it harder for our communities to protect their identity and to assert their rights to self-determination.

At the same time, we know that many people who support In digenous causes want to help. They may feel a deep connection to our cultures and wish to learn more or be part of our efforts. To these allies, we say that there is room for everyone who wants to stand with us—but it is important to do so with respect and understanding. True allyship means recognizing that Indigenous identity is not something that can be claimed without connection or responsibility. It is about supporting our communities in ways that honor our sovereignty, our voices, and our cultural values.

One of the most harmful impacts of Pretendians is how they take up spaces meant for Indigenous people. Government grants, scholarships, and employment opportunities are often re served for Indigenous individuals to help address historical injustices. When Pretendians take these resources, they are not only stepping into a space that doesn’t belong to them, but they are also taking away opportunities from those who truly need them. Allies can play a crucial role here by ensuring that Indigenous spaces are protected and that opportunities meant for Indigenous people remain in Indigenous hands.

We also know that our cultures are incredibly diverse, with different languages, customs, and traditions. Pretendians often reduce this diversity to a single, generalized image of what it means to be Indigenous. They may adopt symbols or practices without understanding their meaning, contributing to a misrepresentation of our cultures. For allies, it’s important to listen, learn, and respect the differences within Indigenous communities. Support comes through understanding, and by respecting the boundaries we set, you help uplift the real voices of Indige nous people.

Perhaps the greatest harm caused by Pretendians is the erosion of trust. When someone who has falsely claimed Indige nous identity is exposed, it can cast doubt on others who are genuinely connected to their communities. This creates divisions and makes it harder for those of us who belong to assert our identity without being questioned. Allies can help by standing with us, not just when it is easy, but when it is hard—by believ ing in and amplifying the voices of real Indigenous people.

As Anishinaabe, we believe that respect, honesty, and re sponsibility are core to who we are. When allies honor these values, they become part of the solution, helping us protect the integrity of our communities and ensuring that our cultures con tinue to thrive. We invite those who wish to support us to walk alongside us, not as Pretendians, but as friends and allies who value the deep connection we have to our lands, languages, and people. And, encourage our fellow Anishinaabe to take up these spaces even when it is occupied by someone that lacks connec tions and teachings. Miigwech.

NOONGOM DASH (YET TODAY) — JOE’S THOUGHTS

GAA-TIBAAJIMOD (told by) JOE NAYQUONABE SR., WAABISHKIBINES GAA-TIBAAJIMOTAWAAJIN (transcribed by) JAMES CLARK, OZAAWAANAKWAD

Last month we talked about the leaders on the western wall and the people that they led, compared to the people we have on the eastern wall and the people they are leading. I have been around for the people on the eastern wall but not the western. Yet I have read a lot about them and heard about many of the things they did. The people I grew up with on the eastern wall, within that time I saw both the growth and the demise of the people.

I was a young man when Public Law 280 came into effect, when alcohol became legal to Indians, and some of the policies of that time that affected us as Anishinaabe people. Some of the very first programs they had here were federal based, I remember there wasn’t much medical care nearby. Most of us in my generation were born in the Indian hospital in Cloquet. I spoke about this in earlier articles but up until the age of nine I was taken care of by traditional healers. Then after I was diag nosed with rheumatic fever, there wasn’t good medical care at the time. I remember when the hospital in Onamia was in the talks of being built. It was our Band that was instrumental in the funding and development of it, as most of the Band mem bers here wanted it.

The work ethic has changed dramatically over time. My grandparents for example, were huge business people. They would harvest everything needed to create the birch bark cre ations we see in museums and on our shelves nowadays. They had to go and harvest everything from the wiigwaas (birch bark) to the wiigob (basswood fibers). Another policy that harmed it was the termination policy (1945-1960 approx.). This was one that was passed before I was born. It just seems as though, as the years went on, the non-Native people tried various ways to eliminate Indian people and thus their trust responsibilities to us.

A relevant policy for me especially when I was in high school was the Indian Relocation Act (PL 959). This was a pro gram where Indians got paid to move far away from the reser vations. Milwaukee, Chicago, San Francisco, St. louis, and oth er large cities just to name a few. That too was when the RBC era began on the Reservation, the government structure that many tribes still use. This wasn’t something I was too involved with as a young man as I was off on my way to Milwaukee. As far as I remember, one of their main goals was to bring federal and state dollars onto the Reservation so that there were jobs. The Community Action Program (CAP) was one of the first that I remember and my mom was one of the first to work for them. A program designed to improve the community. Then came Public Law 93-638 Indian Self-Determination.

The Education Assistance Act was a time where many of the infrastructure programs were being given to the tribes such as roads, healthcare, economic development, crucial to the de velopment of our Band. Even after the Band changed from RBC to the separation of power government, we were still depen dent on the grants from the Federal and state governments to employ our people. When in the era of self-determination, one of the things that started this was within the state contracts they required us to waive “sovereign immunity” and Mille Lacs didn’t agree with it. There were several grants that were turned down, one by one we lost out on crucial dollars. Yet after a fight with the state, they changed the contracts and re moved that line. That in turn allowed us to flex our sovereignty, one of those was through big bucks bingo.

Economic development was a big talk but some of our Elders were very weary of the ramifications of building them here on the Reservation. As history tells us, we ended up building not one, but two of them, and with that a lot of economic opportunity came to our people. The casinos did allowed us to supplement our programs with casino dollars — maybe even put us on the map a little bit with the success of the casinos came the per capita payments. They weren’t very large at first. I remember the leaders saying that it was supplemental to help us with the unmet needs. At the time it sounded like a good venture to get into, to help us out a little bit. But as the per capita payments grew, a lot of the people here became dependent on it. And in my view, it took away a lot of ambition and work ethic.

When I look around the Band, I see what they call a high unemployment rate when there are so many jobs open even right now. The Band government has around 800 jobs, with even more open all the time. When I worked at the school, I would often ask the kids, “What are your plans after you graduate?” They wouldn’t tell me anything. I asked them, “Well how are you going to get by?” They would always tell me, “Per cap.” And thus, a loss of ambition, and work ethic. There are so many entry jobs that our youth or unemployed can get into, then when they find out what their passion is then we have Band scholarship that’ll pay for their further education. This furthering of education helps teach us about things around our Reservation and also nationwide.

The leadership of old, I believe, was keen on preserving for the future. But today, I believe that we are focused on the day to day. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to fix, especial ly to get our quality of life up to an equal standard with the non-Native people. Yet looking back how they survived with working together and helping one another, it is not the same now. Today, we are much more “me” focused. I feel we need to get back to our old ways, between language, culture, and community we were strong. Is the Band leadership looking out for our future? Our youth, our language, things that are critical to the survival of our community and many other opportunities? I am just thinking how much we used to be healthy and self-sustaining. We have a lot of work to do.

As a chemical dependency counselor by trade, I would like to end with one of our steps. The fourth step refers to the char acter defect assessment. I believe as a community we need to take a large step back. I think we owe that to those guys on the western wall that we should repay them and be Anishinaabe again. I think we lost some focus, and in order to be healthy again we need to get back to some of their ways. I know peo ple disagree with me, but our culture and language are some of those ways. I am very thankful for my Reservation. They have assisted me with my education, housing, and life. And now I want to give back, I tell the elected officials, “I am here to help. What can I do?” When I can get a chance at community meetings, I tell fellow Anishinaabeg, “When we go to the government center, we should go to the elected officials and ask them how can we help, instead of “give me” or “I need this.”

With that, miigwech. I will see you at the fall dances.