Indigenous writers, academics say they aren’t shocked to hear Thomas King’s not Cherokee

After author Thomas King's revelation Monday that he is not part Cherokee, some Indigenous writers and academics say the statement was a good first step, while others believe it lacks accountability.  

Author of books like The Inconvenient Indian and Indians on Vacation, King said in an essay Monday for The Globe and Mail he learned he has no Cherokee ancestry after meeting with the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) a U.S.-based organization.

Daniel Heath Justice, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a professor in the Institute of Critical Indigenous Studies and the Department of English Languages and Literatures at the University of British Columbia, was on the Zoom call between TAAF and King.

Heath Justice said King seemed genuinely shocked to learn of his genealogy. But he said this wasn't a surprise to many Cherokee citizens, who were aware King was not Cherokee for a long time.

He said while King is absorbing things, his “statement is a first step but it can't be the only step” toward accountability.

Heath Justice added it's an opportunity to learn "from different voices and voices who've been doing a lot of work." 

“This doesn't have to be a time of despair; it can actually be a time of reaffirming our commitment,” Heath Justice said.

“There are so many really amazing Cherokee citizens. We are not bereft of Cherokee writers who are writing from Cherokee perspectives, who have Cherokee relations, who have Cherokee connections."

He encourages people to read writers like Twila Barnes, Andrea L. Rogers, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Gladys Cardiff, Mary Leauna Christensen, and Wilma Mankiller.

Anishnaabe writer Jesse Wente said it was King’s students who first came to mind when he heard the news.

“I think of all the people that have been in relationship with him, what they're feeling today,” he said.

Wente said he was aware of rumours surrounding King’s heritage and distanced himself from him after his experience working with director Michelle Latimer on a film adaptation of The Inconvenient Indian. 

“This should have been taken care of long ago,” Wente said.

"I can't speak to why people don't resolve their own issues if they're going to represent themselves in ways publicly."