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Dave Obee: Boyden should clear up ancestry claim

Author Joseph Boyden has stumbled into yet another controversy, this time over his claims to have indigenous ancestry. Both of his parents, he says, have First Nations blood, to a certain extent. This matters.
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A celebrated Canadian author who writes about First Nations heritage and culture is defending himself on Twitter after his ancestry was questioned. Joseph Boyden said he is of "mostly Celtic heritage," but he also has Nipmuc roots on his father's side and Ojibway roots on his mother's. Boyden poses for a portrait in Toronto in an October 20, 2016, file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

VKA-obee-520501.jpgAuthor Joseph Boyden has stumbled into yet another controversy, this time over his claims to have indigenous ancestry. Both of his parents, he says, have First Nations blood, to a certain extent.

This matters. Boyden has presented himself as someone speaking for the indigenous community. His books rely on the credibility given him by his heritage. If he has no indigenous ancestry, he has suckered a lot of people.

Jorge Barrera of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network led the challenge to Boyden’s claims with an extensive analysis of genealogical records. The analysis did not find anything that backs up Boyden’s claims.

Boyden is already in hot water for writing an open letter criticizing the way the University of British Columbia handled the firing of Stephen Galloway, another prominent author. Others quickly noted that the Boyden letter could silence people who accused Galloway of sexual harassment, bullying and making threats.

Margaret Atwood rushed to help Boyden by pointing out that Galloway was also of indigenous descent. This statement brought another backlash from people who said, quite rightly, that it was at best not relevant, and at worst highly insulting to everyone with First Nations ancestry.

And the next thing we knew, Boyden’s own ancestral claims were back in the limelight.

Boyden would not be the first person to claim ancestry different from reality. Some people claim a racial background they do not have, and some try to hide the truth.

My mother was one. She was born in a German colony in the Soviet Union. In Canada, during the Second World War, she downplayed her German ancestry.

After the war, she hid her Soviet origins.

A few years ago, I drove to Ukraine from Germany as part of my continuing research into my family history. After stopping for the night in the Polish city of Chelm, I walked around the downtown area.

I stumbled upon a crowd watching two guys billed as “authentic Indians” dancing for money.

I watched for a bit, and during a break I tried chatting with them. They did not appear to speak English, a language that “authentic Indians” would certainly have.

Whoever they were, they were letting the crowd believe they were something they were not, and giving a performance that the crowd believed to be authentic.

The lines between fact and fabrication can blur even more when we toss in the dangers that come with writing fiction.

Early in my career, I interviewed W.O. Mitchell, one of the most celebrated Canadian authors of the late 20th century.

It did not go well. Things went off the rails when I asked about using facts as a springboard for fiction. I thought facts were facts, and truth was truth. Mitchell said that as long as he believed something was true, then it was, in fact, true.

I understand his point today more than I did then, but it still seems like a slippery slope. On the other hand, I am sure it seemed to Mitchell that I was an idiot.

That conversation has stayed with me, and seems relevant again, given the Boyden case.

If Boyden honestly believes that he has indigenous ancestry, does that make it so? No. A strong belief is no match for hard evidence.

It would help his case, and maybe even silence his critics, if he could back up what he has said.

How about documents such as civil registration records or census returns that would trace his family back to First Nations ancestors?

Boyden could also do a DNA test that would, if he is correct, link him to others with proven indigenous ancestry. That would likely be easier than hunting through old records, and at less than $200 would likely be cheaper, as well.

DNA matches would provide scientific evidence, better than what documents would give.

Boyden has won an aboriginal book-of-the-year award. If he is not who he claims to be, he should return the award and the $5,000 that went with it. The award and the money could be a tremendous boost to a struggling indigenous writer.

Also, Boyden is paid to speak on indigenous topics. Again, he could be depriving someone else of the opportunity, and depriving audiences of the truth.

Jorge Barrera’s case is strong. Boyden could clear things up. Will he?

Dave Obee has written several books on Canadian genealogical research.

dobee@timescolonist.com