Renowned Author's Indigenous Identity Unravels
In a startling revelation that has sent shockwaves through literary and Indigenous communities, acclaimed Canadian-American author Thomas King has publicly acknowledged he possesses no Cherokee ancestry despite having identified as Indigenous throughout his career.
The 82-year-old writer, best known for his award-winning work The Inconvenient Indian, disclosed the findings in a deeply personal essay titled "A most inconvenient Indian" published in Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper.
The Investigation That Changed Everything
King revealed that a genealogist working with the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (Taaf) conducted extensive research into his family history and found no evidence of Cherokee lineage on either side of his family. The North Carolina-based organisation specialises in exposing perpetrators of Indigenous identity fraud.
"It's been a couple of weeks since that video call, and I'm still reeling," King wrote. "At 82, I feel as though I've been ripped in half, a one-legged man in a two-legged story. Not the Indian I had in mind. Not an Indian at all."
The author explained that rumours questioning his heritage had been circulating in both artistic and Indigenous circles in recent years. These whispers ultimately led him to engage with Taaf, which he identified as the primary source of the scepticism surrounding his background claims.
A Lifetime of Belief Unraveled
King had long maintained a family story that his father, Robert King, was not his biological parent. Instead, he believed his grandfather was Elvin Hunt, a man thought to have Cherokee ancestry. This narrative formed the foundation of his identity throughout his professional life.
The California-born academic, writer and activist moved to Canada in 1980, taking a position teaching Indigenous studies at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. His work gained widespread recognition for what Canada's governor general described as displaying "formidable wit to explore the social, economic and political dimensions of the modern Aboriginal experience."
Among his numerous accolades, King won the 2014 RBC Taylor prize for non-fiction for The Inconvenient Indian and received the 2020 Stephen Leacock memorial medal for humour for Indians on Vacation. That same year, he was promoted to companion of the Order of Canada, commended for his "prolific and groundbreaking work [which] continues to enrich our country's culture."
Consequences and Reflections
In response to the genealogical findings, King announced his intention to return the National Aboriginal Achievement award he received in 2003. "The rest of my awards are based on my writing, not my ethnicity," he told the Globe and Mail.
The author becomes the latest prominent figure whose claims to Indigenous ancestry have been disproven, following recent revelations about folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, whom a CBC investigation alleged was born in Massachusetts to white parents rather than Cree parents as she had long claimed.
King maintains he never intentionally misled anyone, having genuinely believed in his Cherokee heritage throughout his career. "Throughout my career – activist, academic, administrator, writer – I've conducted myself in the belief that I was mixed-blood Cherokee," he wrote.
He acknowledged, however, that continuing to claim Indigenous ancestry after seeing the evidence would constitute fraud. The Tribal Alliance Against Frauds had suggested he offer an apology, but King resisted, stating: "an apology assumes a crime, an offence, a misdeed. And I don't think that's appropriate."
The revelation marks a profound personal and professional reckoning for an author whose work has fundamentally shaped contemporary understanding of Indigenous experiences in North America.
