Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

For years, many indigenous people have been trying to blend in, struggling to make it in a white world, to be offered the same opportunities, to be treated equally in a court of law, and to receive the benefits that everyone else in the country is entitled to. Many have hidden their backgrounds because of the pervasive bigotry and discrimination they might face.

But recently, there’s been a strange reversal, where white Canadians are trying to pass as native. Whether it’s for financial gain, as a fashion accessory, to find inner value or to help their careers, they are a factor to be reckoned with. What are we to make of these “pretendians”?

The Pretendians is a new documentary that delves deeply into the lives of some of these alleged pretend indians, their opponents, and how it affects us all.  It’s made by the well-known novelist, columnist, playwright and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor, from the Anishinaabe Curve Lake First Nation. I last spoke with Drew about his CBC series Going Native.

I spoke with Drew Hayden Taylor in Toronto via Zoom.

The Pretendians is currently streaming on The Passionate Eye on CBC Gem (S02 E03).