| Founded | 2022; 4 years ago (2022) |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | North Carolina, US |
| Members | 50+ |
Executive director | Lianna Costantino |
| Website | tribalallianceagainstfrauds |
TheTribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that is dedicated to exposing individuals and organizations that havefalsely claimed to be American Indian, as well as to educating the public on the harms to American Indian people andsovereignty caused byidentity fraud. The organization employs certified experts in American Indiangenealogy to conduct genealogical investigations of individuals who have profited from fraudulent claims of American Indian heritage.[1]
TAAF is physically based inCherokee, North Carolina, on theQualla Boundary of theEastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). TAAF is not a tribal program, nor is it endorsed by the EBCI or any other tribe. It is an independent watchdog organization that employswhistleblowing methods. TAAF was founded in May 2022 and "leads a nationwide fight against people who it believes are fraudulently claiming to be Native," writes journal Bill Donahue.[2] According to the organization's official website, their mission is to investigate and expose non-American Indian people who "falsely represent American Indian cultures, histories, and spiritual practices and/or falsely claim American Indian identity as individuals for profit or fame."
People who falsely claim to be American Indians are often referred to as "Pretendians". The organization conducts lengthy and detailed investigations, using certified genealogists who are experts in American Indian genealogy. Lianna Costantino, a citizen of theCherokee Nation, is the organization's co-founder and executive director.[2] TAAF does not expose individuals who falsely believe they have American Indian heritage based on "unfounded family lore", unless they profit from those false claims or otherwise harm American Indians. Individuals who are under investigation are contacted first by TAAF to give them an opportunity to clarify or substantiate their American Indian heritage claims. In addition to their published findings, TAAF also maintains a list of several hundred suspected "Pretendians" who are in the process of being investigated.[3]
The Executive director of TAAF Lianna Costantino also has a lot of ties to other religious organizations, Lianna Costantino is a High Priestess of the Sylvan Hearth Pagan Temple, as well as sponsored by the Catholic Committee of Appalachia.[4][5]
TAAF has published a few dozen investigations into notable people who claimed ancestry. In March, 2023, TAAF issued a highly publicized report thatHeather Rae, known as a leading producer in American Indian circles in Hollywood, had fraudulently claimed to be ofCherokee descent.[6] TAAF called for Rae to resign from her positions at American Indian organizations. In response, Rae stated in an interview with theHollywood Reporter that she "began to really look into my family’s history in a deeper way" and was "still in that process, so for several years I have identified as an ally."[7]
In July 2023, TAAF published findings demonstrating that Kent Patrick Blansett, a professor of Indigenous Studies and History at theUniversity of Kansas, had fraudulently claimed to be ofPotawatomi,Shawnee, Choctaw, Cherokee, andMuscogee ancestry. A genealogical tree going back six generations that was created by TAAF found no evidence of American Indian ancestry.[8][9]
In October 2023, TAAF published their findings that the writer Erika T. Wurth had falsely claimedApache,Chickasaw, and Cherokee ancestry and stated that Wurth had fabricated an American Indian identity for "personal gain". TAAF's report states that "Wurth's family were white settlers" and that "NONE were American Indian". In response, Wurth's literary agent alleged that TAAF employs "tools of manipulation and unwarranted persecution of Native Americans."[3] Wurth later responded that she is unenrolled in any Native nation due to "record-keeping practices in Texas in the 1800s," and speculated that the TAAF investigation had been motivated by her "advocacy for women and victims of harassment and abuse, as well as [my] work to expose predators in the Native American writing world."[10]
In November 2023, TAAF published findings alleging that Qwo-Li Driskill (born Paul Edward Driskill), an associate professor atOregon State University, had falsely claimed to be ofOsage,Lenape,Lumbee, and Cherokee heritage. Driskill claimed to be a non-enrolled descendant of American Indians, but TAAF's report concluded that Driskill had no American Indian ancestry. TAAF requested that OSU fire Driskill unless Driskill publicly apologized.[11][12] As of September 2024, Driskill was no longer employed at OSU.[13]
TAAF issued a report onThomas King, an American-born Canadian academic and author known for the bookThe Inconvenient Indian who had claimed Cherokee heritage.[14] King said he had sincerely believed he was Cherokee, and agreed to return a 2003 award for National Aboriginal Achievement, but stated he intended to keep other awards and commendations which were based not on his identity but on his research and writing.[15]