In a statement issued today, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs became the latest group to defend decorated scholar Dr Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, after a CBC article questioned her Cree heritage.
Turpel-Lafond has always claimed her father was Cree, and her mother Scottish, and that she was born on the Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba.
In the 90s, she married her husband, and in her words, became a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.
But the article (which can be read at this link), written by Geoff Leo, brings up numerous inconsistencies in the UBC professor’s accounts of her lineage.
It brings forward evidence that she may have actually been born in Niagara Falls, and that her father was born in Victoria to European parents.
In addition, the article also brings up issues with the timelines and legitimacy of many of her accolades and academic credentials.
But, the UBCIC lauded the work she has done for Indigenous people in Canada, and says the issue of First Nations identity should be decided by the Nations.
While many other organizations have come forward in defense of Turpel-Lafond, the Indigenous public has been more critical, saying she took awards, accolades, and jobs that should have gone to others.
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