Legitimizing Indigenous identity through legislation is not necessarily the way to go theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
“What happens when someone overtly steals something from you, like your lands, your culture or the identity that’s yours?” asked Tamara Bell on Monday.
Tamara Bell is from the Raven Clan, Haida Nation
The Haida filmmaker launched a campaign on Jan. 18 for Canada to create legislation to stop a longstanding trend: People fraudulently claiming Indigenous identity to gain funding or opportunities.
The proposal comes one month after acclaimed filmmaker Michelle Latimer resigned from the CBC television series Trickster in December. She has been accused of not being Algonquin or Metis as she has claimed for decades.
David P. Ball, Local Journalism Initiative
Haida filmmaker Tamara Bell announces her campaign for a proposed Indigenous Identities Act outside Vancouverâs Native Education College on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.
Image Credit: David P. Ball, Local Journalism Initiative January 20, 2021 - 8:00 PM Haida filmmaker Tamara Bell launched a campaign this week to convince the federal government to create legislation to stop a longstanding trend: People fraudulently claiming Indigenous identity to gain funding or opportunities. “What happens when someone overtly steals something from you, like your lands, your culture or the identity that’s yours?” Bell said, Jan. 18, as she announced the campaign for an Indigenous Identities Act outside Vancouver s Native Education College.
Cineasta haida quiere sanciones para quienes se hagan pasar por indígenas rcinet.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rcinet.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Posted: Jan 19, 2021 4:00 AM PT | Last Updated: February 8
Tamara Bell, shown at a news conference on Monday, says the federal government must enact new rules to authenticate Indigenous identity. (Mike Zimmer/CBC )
A Haida filmmaker is pushing for new legislation in Canada to penalize people who wrongly claim to be indigenous and access grants, awards and jobs intended for Indigenous people.
Tamara Bell said she wants those who misrepresent their identity to face fines and even prison time. In her press conference, Bell didn t distinguish between those who may intentionally misrepresent their identity and those who do it in error.
Bell s move comes on the heels of Kitigan Zibi community members questioning filmmaker Michelle Latimer s claims to be of Algonquin, Métis and French heritage, from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg (Maniwaki), Quebec.