Councillor insists she has indigenous ancestry
Marie-Josée Parent stepped down in 2019 after being appointed the city’s first advisor on indigenous reconciliation, after a genealogical researcher questioned whether she had any indigenous ancestry at all. Now she has spoken out to maintain she does have indigenous ancestry, based on her great-grandmother’s baptismal certificate.
Michael Black 22:05 on 2021-01-21 Permalink
But what changed from the last time? The genealogists the last time just determined her native ancestry was well in the past. The birth certificate she found says nothing, it’s only “proof” by location.
The denial wasn’t that she had no ancestry, but that it didn’t make her Native. DNA and ancestry don’t mean a thing. She is claiming based on history, rather than relationship.
People can weave their stories, and it sounds good. But once a story is told, it’s remembered, even if the first telling was wrong or garbled. Weaved in it is the notion that they were hiding their identity.
How is her story different from Joseph Boyden’s or Michelle Latimer, or Elizabeth Warren? Why is it not like Nakuset’s?
There are no Eastern Metis (with a capital M), there was no historical grouping and resistance. So she can’t be Metis.
She could have done everything the same, just mentioning Native ancestry, no need to claim being Native.
I’ve seen the scrip issued to my great grandfather, the lawyer. “Half breed”.
Kate 11:40 on 2021-01-22 Permalink
Michael Black, while I’ve seen a few Mohawk names on the baptismal register from St James Cathedral (now Mary Queen of the World), a lot of folks of indigenous or mixed indigenous background here would be using French or Scots names so would not be marked as indigenous in the records. A certificate wouldn’t prove anything either way (and I still want to know who paid the genealogist who set out to “debunk” Marie-Josée Parent – would some journalist please dig this up?).
Also, not to be crude about it, how much indigenous ancestry is enough? A great‑grandmother means 1/8 of your ancestry. Is that sufficient to claim indigenous identity?
EmilyG 16:09 on 2021-01-22 Permalink
As for Indigenous identity, I’ve seen people say, “Well, so-and-so is only half Indigenous” as though that discounted them.
If someone has “only” one Indigenous parent, it doesn’t mean they’re not Indigenous.
An example:
https://twitter.com/Alethea_Aggiuq/status/1318436767192784896