Data Reveals Extent of False Cherokee Identity Claims in Canada

The Cherokee Identity Crisis: False Heritage Claims Rising in Canada and Beyond

From writers and academics to politicians, a troubling phenomenon of false Cherokee heritage claims has emerged in Canada, echoing a pattern long established in the United States. While Métis, Mi’kmaq, and Abenaki communities are most commonly targeted by unsubstantiated claims to Indigenous heritage in Canada, the prevalence of Cherokee claimants has raised significant concerns among Indigenous rights advocates.

In the United States, non-Native people claiming Cherokee ancestry has become so widespread that it’s been dubbed “Cherokee syndrome” – a phenomenon where individuals claim an unverified distant Cherokee ancestor as the foundation for building an Indigenous identity. The pattern has become so predictable that even Ancestry.com now warns users against accepting family folklore about Cherokee heritage without verification.

“Most claims are based on vague assertions about ‘blood’ rather than actual Indigenous cultural belonging, verifiable kinship, or confirmed political status,” explains Cherokee scholar Kirby Brown, who has extensively researched this issue. “The data simply doesn’t support the vast majority of these claims.”

The motivations behind these false claims are multifaceted. Some white settlers seek to distance themselves from their heritage’s history of colonial violence. Others co-opt Indigenous identity for personal or political gain – sometimes to support right-wing white grievance politics. In many cases, basic greed for resources and opportunities belonging to Indigenous Peoples drives this behavior.

Census data reveals the stark disconnect between claims and reality. In the United States, Cherokee identification increased by an astonishing 2,221 percent between 1970 and 2020 – far outpacing the general population increase of 63 percent. By 2020, there were more than one million additional Americans who self-declared as Cherokee than there were actual Cherokee tribal citizens.

The Cherokee National Research Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, provides genealogical support for those seeking evidence of Cherokee heritage. Their records show that of 4,005 research requests from 2022 to 2024, only 80 people – a mere two percent – had any confirmed evidence of Cherokee heritage.

This pattern extends into Canada. In the 2021 Canadian census, 10,825 people identified as Cherokee. Yet official citizenship records from the Cherokee Nation – which has the most inclusive citizenship criteria of the three Cherokee Tribal Nations – show only 145 Cherokee Nation citizens in Canada. Even accounting for citizens from the other two tribal nations and verifiable non-citizen descendants, the data suggests approximately 98 percent of Canadian “Cherokee” claims have no substantiated relationship with actual Cherokees.

Notably, 52 percent of these Canadian “Cherokee” respondents come from families that have been in Canada for three or more generations, indicating these false claims have become deeply embedded in family mythologies.

“Legitimate Cherokee relations aren’t particularly obscure or difficult to trace,” notes Brown. “Cherokees are one of the best-documented peoples in the world, with extensive archives and community genealogists who can assess relations with high reliability.”

The consequences of these false claims extend beyond cultural misappropriation. Pretendianism directly attacks Indigenous sovereignty and the rights of Native Nations to determine their own protocols of citizenship and belonging. When individuals use fabricated Indigenous identities to access resources, relationships, or positions intended for Indigenous peoples, it constitutes a form of theft and cultural violence.

High-profile Canadians who have made questionable Cherokee claims include celebrated writer Thomas King and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Smith, who has also claimed “Métis from America’s Midwest” heritage, has faced criticism for simultaneously pandering to anti-Indigenous attitudes in her political career.

The arts, politics, and academia have become battlegrounds as questionable claims to Indigenous heritage face increased scrutiny from communities, activists, and researchers. Some institutions are now implementing more rigorous verification processes for Indigenous identity claims, while Indigenous groups are advocating for greater respect for tribal sovereignty in determining belonging.

“Cherokee sovereignty and Cherokee people experience real harm when people with no actual relationship to Cherokees, no familiarity with our histories or cultures, and no commitment to our Nations’ well-being claim our identity,” explains Brown. “It misrepresents legitimate Cherokee experience and undermines how Cherokee belonging and sovereignty are understood in law and politics.”

As awareness grows about this issue, Indigenous advocates stress that genuine Cherokee relations are profound, verifiable realities – not self-serving fantasies that appropriate Indigenous identity for personal gain.