\u00a0By Dave Baxter \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative 15\/05\/2024\u00a0 After decades of hiding their identities, Indigenous leaders say communities are now experiencing a \u201cnew identity crisis\u201d as more and more Canadians falsely and fraudulently claim Indigenous ancestry for personal gain. \u201cToday it\u2019s a different crisis. We are struggling with people who are trying to be us,\u201d Scott McLeod, the Chief of the Ontario-based Nipissing First Nation said this week while speaking at the two-day Indigenous Identify Fraud Summit in Winnipeg. McLeod says when growing up on his reserve, he saw countless examples of community members and Elders hiding their heritage out of fear of what could happen to them if they publicly shared their culture, language or ceremonies. \u201cBack in the \u201960s and \u201970s we had identity issues because we were trying… <\/p>\n
\u00a0By Dave Baxter \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative 15\/05\/2024\u00a0 After decades of hiding their identities, Indigenous leaders say communities are now experiencing a \u201cnew identity crisis\u201d as more and more Canadians falsely and fraudulently claim Indigenous ancestry for personal gain. \u201cToday it\u2019s a different crisis. We are struggling with people who are trying to be us,\u201d Scott McLeod, the Chief of the Ontario-based Nipissing First Nation said this week while speaking at the two-day Indigenous Identify Fraud Summit in Winnipeg. McLeod says when growing up on his reserve, he saw countless examples of community members and Elders hiding their heritage out of fear of what could happen to them if they publicly shared their culture, language or ceremonies. \u201cBack in the \u201960s and \u201970s we had identity issues because we were trying... <\/p>\n