Sacheen Littlefeather and ethnic fraud – why the truth is crucial, even it it means losing an American Indian hero

As a scholar who writes and teaches about American Indian cultural appropriation, I believe that scrutinizing Littlefeather’s claim to Native identity is necessary. Pretendianism – the act of falsely claiming American Indian heritage – does real harm, and the case of Littlefeather may shed light on why people make such claims, and how they get away with it.