U. Kanas History Prof and Native American Expert Accused of Faking His Ancestry
“He has been called out by journalist Jacqueline Keeler, who investigates those who falsely claim Native American ancestry”
Here we go again. This seems to happen a couple of times a year now.
The College Fix reports:
History professor and Native American expert accused of faking ancestry
University of Kansas history Professor Kent Blansett, who will appear as a keynote speaker and Native American expert at a fall history conference, faces allegations of fraudulently representing his ancestry.
He has been called out by journalist Jacqueline Keeler, who investigates those who falsely claim Native American ancestry, as well as AncestorStealing, a website that publishes research to expose so-called pretendians.
Blansett is listed as the keynote speaker at the September 2023 Great Plains History Conference. His ancestry on the conference site is detailed as “Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Shawnee, and Potawatomi descendant from the Blanket, Panther, and Smith families.”
Blansett’s claims of Native American ancestry from the same five tribes also appear in his University of Kansas faculty profile: “Kent Blansett is a Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Shawnee, and Potawatomi descendant of the Blanket, Panther, and Smith families.”
Blansett (pictured) also holds a “Langston Hughes” associate professorship at the University of Kansas. Hughes is a beloved African American writer and the professorship is meant to honor diversity.
The College Fix reached out to the Great Plains History Conference by email twice in June with questions about the allegations against Blansett. No response has been received.
The Fix reached out to Kent Blansett by email on June 16 and June 22 with questions regarding if he was aware of the allegations against him and if he had any comments. He has not responded.
The Fix also reached out to the University of Kansas, its Department of History, department Chair Luis Corteguera, and faculty member Joseph Brewer, with questions regarding the allegations against Blansett.
“The University has asked me to refrain from commenting on this subject,” Corteguera responded on June 22.
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Comments
Another Ward Churchill, I guess.
“Jacqueline Keeler, who investigates those who falsely claim Native American ancestry”
We need an analogous expert who investigates those who falsely claim their gender. Admittedly, a much easier job.
It’s especially dumb to claim descent from any tribe that ended up in Indian Territory / Oklahoma. They’ve kept detailed records, as Elizabeth Warren eventually learned.
Lolol, Pretendians!
What a legacy for the descend-ants to deal with, and what is the “University of Kansas” to do now?
They don’t like to be called Pretendians.
The proper term is now Fable Americans.