Wisconsin Artist and Activist Caught Faking Native American Heritage

A co-owner of a Wisconsin-based queer Indigenous artists’ collective has been accused of being white while claiming Native American heritage, according to Madison 365. Kay LeClaire, who identifies as non-binary, has been charged with using her claimed indigenous heritage to make money. 

LeClaire, a founding member of the collective and an emerging leader in the Madison Indigenous arts community, had received artist stipends, a paid residency at the University of Wisconsin, speaking gigs, and art exhibitions based on her Native American claim. However, LeClaire, who went by the name nibiiwakamigkwe, was reportedly exposed after an online forum user posted evidence of LeClaire’s actual genealogy, showing that she has German, Swedish, and French Canadian ancestors.

LeClaire has reportedly given back any culturally related items they had and vowed not to seek new grants. She explained, “I am sorry. A lot of information has come to my attention since late December. I am still processing it all and do not yet know how to respond adequately. What I can do now is offer change. Moving forward, my efforts will be towards reducing harm by following the directions provided by Native community members and community-specified proxies. Currently, this means that I am not using the Ojibwe name given to me and am removing myself from all community spaces, positions, projects, and grants and will not seek new ones.”

The collective said in an Instagram post that the organization and LeClaire parted ways on 31 December 2021.

Join The Discussion

Related Posts
Total
1
Share