NAFPS Forum
General => Frauds => Topic started by: educatedindian on September 08, 2019, 02:02:56 pm
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Got a request about him. The numerous peoples claimed sets off alarms.
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https://queerbio.com/wiki/index.php/Qwo-Li_Driskill
Two-spirited Native American (Cherokee, African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee and Osage) Assistant Professor at Oregon State University, where they are director of graduate studies and the queer studies curriculum organizer in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies....
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http://www.indianz.com/boardx/post.asp?method=TopicQuote&TOPIC_ID=18464&FORUM_ID=5
FunkFeathers1 Posted - 01/30/2006 : 7:05:23 PM
interesting article...but it reminds me of the two spirit poet Qwo-Li Driskill who i saw give a reading at U Penn the other day. I questioned Qwo-Li's status as cherokee indian in my head when another listener asked if he had ever been questioned as his appeareance is that of a long haired irish guy/girl. He stated that he is only questioned by non-indians and is well accepted in grassroots movements. Thats one of the big obvious giveaways isnt it?
siksikasam Posted - 01/30/2006 : 7:18:38 PM
Yeah... Um.. Quo Li is fully legit..... Goot person-good buddy of my cousin.. Its important to have our two spirit folks around contributing positive thoughts and ideas..
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https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/qwo-li-driskill
b. 1975
Cherokee poet, scholar, and activist Qwo-Li Driskill was raised in rural Colorado. Driskill earned a BA from the University of Northern Colorado, an MA from Antioch University Seattle, and a PhD from Michigan State University.....
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Qwo-Li Driskill is a (non-citizen) Cherokee
https://www.highline.edu/event/dr-qwo-li-driskill/
also identifies as “Crip and Mad.”
They explain, “I have several chronic illnesses as well as complex post-traumatic stress."
https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2019/8/28/two-spirit-queer-disabled-scholar-making-waves
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Qwo-Li Paul-Edward Driskill (born 1975)
https://voterrecords.com/voter/20860920/qwo-li-driskill
Father's obit:
Paul J. Driskill of Glenwood Springs passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on December 24th, 2010. He was 73.
He was a beloved husband, wonderful father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Paul was born in his grandmother's house in Lamar on June 22, 1937. He attended Lamar Union High School where he played on two state championship football teams.
He continued his education at Adams State College, where he received a BA and MA.
He married Jeannie Holdren in 1960 and taught high school on Guam and in Silverton before teaching at Glenwood Springs Elementary School for 30 years. He was active in the Colorado running community.
He is survived by his wife, Jeannie; daughters, Mary Kay Reed and Kim Stallone; son, Qwo-Li Driskill; grandchildren, Rachel Rosas, Rebecca Fuller, Taylor Reed, Dylan Reed and four great-grandchildren, Mason Rosas, Kaitlyn Rosas, Kayla Fuller and Cameron Fuller. He is also survived by his brother James Driskill, his sister Pat Yoder and his dog Spooky.
He was preceded in death by his brother Robert Driskill, his mother Thelma Muriel Appel, and his father Paul Edward Driskill.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71205617/paul-j.-driskill
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His father was in the 1940 federal census, he and parents are listed white.
His mother on public records sites is listed "Ethnicity: Caucasian".
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More links to relevant sites, mostly found by reading articles at previous links:
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/slcs/wgss
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/slcs/wgss/academic-programs/queer-studies-oregon-state-university
"For more information, contact Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill at qwo-li.driskill@oregonstate.edu (http://qwo-li.driskill@oregonstate.edu)."
https://asterixjournal.com/tal-s-go-gal-quo-gi/
https://asterixjournal.com/author/quolidriskill/
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Archives of past sites:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060206064535/http://dragonflyrising.resystseattle.org/index.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20110209222525/http://wearetheones.info/
These archives don't capture everything but it is possible that more leads can be found by looking through various dates.
Extensive story about his father: https://www.postindependent.com/news/driskill-ran-the-good-race/ No mention of Cherokee.
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From 2001:
I am a direct descendent of Sterling and Jasper Ison.
Would love to talk more.Especially trying to figure out Osage history in my father's family.
Qwo-Li Driskill
https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/ison/481/
So in 2001 he was trying to find Osage in his father's family.
This is not the best way to do genealogy. Best practice is to start with yourself and then work each step back methodically. You can have clues, ideas, guesses but should be willing to let those go if the records lead elsewhere.
He's instead trying to shoe horn in some Osage.
Ison is indeed one of his direct paternal surnames. I've only done a quick look over but only see everyone listed as white.
Also 2001:
We have a complex family history, from what I know of it.Would love to be in contact w/ y'all.
Wa'do,
Qwo-Li Driskill
https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/oxendine/213/
So, again, at that time he did not know his genealogy. His response was to a query by someone who also is new to genealogy and believes that they have Cherokee heritage.
Cherokee people are very well documented. So if Driskill has Cherokee heritage, it should be possible to find.
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Cherokee I've asked say he's non-Native. They also said he made up the stuff he's published about two-spirits among the Cherokee. He's gotten white people to publish it, though, and is trying to make a career for himself in academia.
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Did a little digging on this big ol' fraud and there is absolutely no Indian blood in any of the censuses. They are all white. The first posting will be of his father Paul Driskill. Since Paul Jr. only claims his so called Indian blood comes from his father's side of the family I will only post that side of the family.
The 1940 United States Federal Census
View 1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Paul James Driskill
Age: 3
Estimated birth year: abt 1937
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Colorado
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Home in 1940: Lamar, Prowers, Colorado
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: East Olive Street
House Number: 501
Sheet Number: 2A
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: None
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Paul Driskill 28
Muriel Driskill 26
Pobby Loe Driskill 8
Patsy Driskill 6
Jimmy Driskill 4
Paul James Driskill 3
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Here is the grandfather also named Paul Driskill. He was born in about 1912 to 1913 in some of the censuses.
Paul Driskill in the 1920 United States Federal Census
View 1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Paul Driskill
Age: 7
Birth Year: abt 1913
Birthplace: Colorado
Home in 1920: Lamar, Prowers, Colorado
Street: Mullen Street
Residence Date: 1920
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital status: Single
Father's name: W A Driskill
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's name: Isible Driskill
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Occupation: None
Attended School: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
W A Driskill 51
Isible Driskill 44
Cora Driskill 16
Roy Driskill 15
Julia Driskill 13
Paul Driskill 7
Retta Driskill 6
Georgia Driskill 4
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Here's his great grandfather in the 1910 census. I also found him in the 1900 census with other relatives such as a stepmother and half sister. In all the census records his father was born in Missouri, but his mother's birth place changes from Virginia to just USA....strange, maybe he didn't know because she died or the census taker wrote it down wrong. As you can see we are now back to the 1860's and no Indian blood. All white including the mothers and grandmothers. Piff has informed me that he also claimed Cherokee from his mother's side so I will be posting that side of the family too.
John W A Driskill
in the 1910 United States Federal Census
View 1910 United States Federal Census
Name: John W A Driskill
Age in 1910: 42
Birth Year: abt 1868
Birthplace: Illinois
Home in 1910: Cleveland, Cimarron, Oklahoma
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Isabelle Driskill
Father's Birthplace: Missouri
Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
Native Tongue: English
Occupation: Farmer
Industry: General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other: Own Account
Home Owned or Rented: Own
Home Free or Mortgaged: Free
Farm or House: Farm
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Years Married: 19
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
John W A Driskill 42
Isabelle Driskill 33
Robert S Driskill 16
Clara L Driskill 12
Cora M Driskill 8
Roy L Driskill 6
Julia F Driskill 4
Ray H Driskill 1
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Ok, We have the GG grandfather from the 1870 census. He was born in 1847 Missouri.
Samuel H. Driskell
in the 1880 United States Federal Census
View 1880 United States Federal Census
Name: Samuel H. Driskell
Age: 33
Birth Date: Abt 1847
Birthplace: Missouri
Home in 1880: Union, Benton, Missouri, USA
Dwelling Number: 28
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Elizebeth E. Driskell
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Occupation: Farming
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Samuel H. Driskell 33
Elizebeth E. Driskell 40
John W. A. Driskell 14
Allice E. Driskell 12
Clersey L. Driskell 10
Samuel S. Driskell 6
Jessie E. Driskell 1
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This is a very impressive family tree. Anyone would be very proud of. I've gone as far back to 1700's. And I've found censuses for free white people and land records for the GGG grandfather Jesse Driskill. Here he is in the 1850 census.
Jesse Driskill
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
View 1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Jesse Driskill
Age: 55
Birth Year: abt 1795
Birthplace: Virginia
Home in 1850: District 37, Hickory, Missouri, USA
Gender: Male
Family Number: 191
Household Members:
Name Age
Jesse Driskill 55
Elizabeth Driskill 50
Caleb Driskill 26
Clarissa A Driskill 15
Mary A Driskill 14
Saml H Driskill 4
Source Citation
Year: 1850; Census Place: District 37, Hickory, Missouri; Roll: M432_401; Page: 58A; Image: 116
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Description
This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1850 United States Federal Census, the Seventh Census of the United States. Census takers recorded many details including each person's name, age as of the census day, sex, color; birthplace, occupation of males over age fifteen, and more.
Jesse Driskell
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
View 1840 United States Federal Census
Name: Jesse Driskell
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Cooper, Missouri
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49: 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 3
Free White Persons - Under 20: 5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 2
Total Free White Persons: 7
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 7
Jesse Driskell
in the U.S. General Land Office Records, 1776-2015
View U.S. General Land Office Records, 1776-2015
Name: Jesse Driskell
Issue Date: 2 Nov 1837
Place: Cooper, Missouri, USA
Land Office: Fayette
Meridian: 5th PM
Township: 48-N
Range: 15-W
Section: 9
Accession Number: MO2650__.412
Document Number: 8974
Original URL: http://glorecords.blm.gov/deta...
This record is not from Ancestry and will open in a new window. You may need to search for the record when the web page opens. For more information on web records, click here.
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In 2002, King County WA, he legally changed his name from Paul Edward Driskill to Qwo-Li Paul Edward Driskill.
https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/1382B681F6DB16AF035520A417EBE0F9
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What's up with the Chinese name? It's bad enough he steals a native identity, but why appropriate from the Chinese. Oh! And the African American blood....? He's just about covered all his bases. I'm surprised he hasn't claimed Judaism also.
In 2002, King County WA, he legally changed his name from Paul Edward Driskill to Qwo-Li Paul Edward Driskill.
https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/1382B681F6DB16AF035520A417EBE0F9
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Cherokee I've asked say he's non-Native. They also said he made up the stuff he's published about two-spirits among the Cherokee. He's gotten white people to publish it, though, and is trying to make a career for himself in academia.
My boldings. The "stuff he's published about two-spirits among the Cherokee" is this book:
In Cherokee Asegi udanto refers to people who either fall outside of men’s and women’s roles or who mix men’s and women’s roles. Asegi, which translates as “strange,” is also used by some Cherokees as a term similar to “queer.” For author Qwo-Li Driskill, asegi provides a means by which to reread Cherokee history in order to listen for those stories rendered “strange” by colonial heteropatriarchy.
As the first full-length work of scholarship to develop a tribally specific Indigenous Queer or Two-Spirit critique, Asegi Stories examines gender and sexuality in Cherokee cultural memory, how they shape the present, and how they can influence the future.
The theoretical and methodological underpinnings of Asegi Stories derive from activist, artistic, and intellectual genealogies, referred to as “dissent lines” by Maori scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Driskill intertwines Cherokee and other Indigenous traditions, women of color feminisms, grassroots activisms, queer and Trans studies and politics, rhetoric, Native studies, and decolonial politics. Drawing from oral histories and archival documents in order to articulate Cherokee-centered Two-Spirit critiques, Driskill contributes to the larger intertribal movements for social justice.
And "trying to make a career for himself in academia"? Seems he has come a long way already, with bios at several academic sites, all of them containing the Cherokee claim:
Graduate Studies Director - Associate Professor
School of Language, Culture, and Society: Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Director of Graduate Studies; Queer Studies. Graduate Faculty. Affiliate Faculty: Ethnic Studies, Public Policy, Social Justice. September 2016-Present.
[…]
Additional Information:
Qwo-Li Driskill is a (non-citizen) Cherokee Two-Spirit and Queer writer, activist, and performer also of African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent.
There is a 23 pages long CV, see the link on that page: Curriculum Vitae: cvjuly2017online.pdf
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/sites/liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/files/cvjuly2017online.pdf
No ancestry claims there, but Cherokee mentioned 47 times.
Meet Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill
Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill received their PhD in Rhetoric and Writing from MSU in 2008. Dr. Driskill, a Cherokee Two-Spirit, is now Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Oregon State University. Their research interests include Native American and Indigenous Studies, Queer Studies, and creative writing.
Qwo-Li Driskill is a (non-citizen) Cherokee Two-Spirit and Queer writer, activist, and performer also of African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent.
From here I quote the photo caption:
Qwo Li Driskill is a Cherokee Two-Spirit poet and writer who teaches at Oregon State. Driskill was the featured speaker at the annual Women's and Gender Studies program symposium at ISU.
I wonder if a whistle-blower will be enough to shatter his career, if it can be definitely proven through genealogy work here at NAFPS that the Cherokee ancestry is pure fiction?
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Seems he has come a long way already, with bios at several academic sites, all of them containing the Cherokee claim:
Another one: https://english.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2018/09/19/distinguished-visiting-professor-qwo-li-driskill/
Distinguished Visiting Professor Qwo-Li Driskill
September 25-27, 2018 All Welcome! Please forward this information widely.
Poster can be viewed here.
Qwo-Li Driskill is a (non-citizen) Cherokee Two-Spirit and Queer writer, activist, and performer also of African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent. S/he is the author of Walking with Ghosts: Poems (Salt Publishing, 2005) and the co-editor of Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature (University of Arizona, 2011) and Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature (University of Arizona, 2011). Hir book Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory (University of Arizona 2016) was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2017. S/he is the Director of Graduate Studies and the Queer Studies Curriculum Organizer in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University.
The poster is here: http://gsfr.humanities.mcmaster.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/09/Driskill-Poster.pdf
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There is a 23 pages long CV, see the link on that page: Curriculum Vitae: cvjuly2017online.pdf
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/sites/liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/files/cvjuly2017online.pdf
No ancestry claims there, but Cherokee mentioned 47 times.
I wonder if a whistle-blower will be enough to shatter his career, if it can be definitely proven through genealogy work here at NAFPS that the Cherokee ancestry is pure fiction?
No one gets hired in academia based on ethnicity/race. Nor should they. That's a myth. I always find it disturbing when NDNs repeat it, since it originally came from racists spreading misinformation about affirmative action.
It does seem Driskill was careful not to claim Cherokee on his CV, just strongly falsely imply it 47 times. He does repeat it, or get others to, seemingly everywhere else.
Not having read any of his work, I can't say whether it's false. I will take the word of actual Cherokee who say it is. For one thing, Driskill seems to be the only one online using Cherokee words like asegi that way. But once again Driskill cleverly "intertwines Cherokee and other Indigenous traditions, women of color feminisms, grassroots activisms, queer and Trans studies and politics, rhetoric, Native studies, and decolonial politics." IOW it's so highly mixed he can argue he never intended or claimed it to be Cherokee tradition.
The big problem of course is he presents himself as an insider's voice. Most of that 23 pg CV is a lot of padding. Most of it are actually performances, or him at LGBT events. He realized there's a gap in scholarship that he filled with an invented identity and pieces of faux Cherokee that fit with activist causes.
Even if Driskill could show distant ancestry, he's still not Cherokee or NDN. He doesn't have the lived experience. He was always treated as white since he looks white in everyone's eyes, and he didn't grow up anywhere near other NDNs. That part of CO is almost all white and heavily fundamentalist.
I recall a similar case, Andrea Smith. She got kicked off a grad studies position because she was expected to recruit and represent NDN students. But Driskill is in queer studies and clearly is gay and trans.
Perhaps the way to go is to point out to gay Native groups and activists that his claims are false. They are the one being pushed out, replaced by him and misrepresented.
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Four links not posted here before (2015, 2018, 2019, 2020):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9s3WVIzm-Q (Length 42:31)
Research Online Videos
Presentation by Dr Qwo-Li Driskill at the Cultured Queer / Queering Culture: Indigenous Perspectives on Queerness sysmposium [sic], University of Wollongong [New South Wales, Australia], 19 February 2015.
https://gettysburgian.com/2018/11/qwo-li-driskill-offers-message-of-hope-to-students-community-members/ (Nov 25, 2018)
More than 100 students, faculty, and community members filled Kline Theater on Wednesday, November 14 to hear Qwo Li Driskill, a two-spirit Cherokee author, talk about life as a two-spirit indigenous person.
Gettysburg Professor and author Stephanie Sellers introduced Professor Driskill, who is the queer studies organizer for the WGS department of Oregon State University, acknowledging and thanking the ancestors and elders of the many native American nations that call Pennsylvania home. The reverence of the whole affair was quite remarkable, as Professor Driskill led the audience through an engaging lecture about hir experience and that of other two-spirit Cherokees s/he has interviewed for hir dissertation.
S/he opened by explaining that s/he weaves baskets; often, they are double walled weaves, which creates a third space. S/he compared this to the lives of two-spirit people (a term only used to refer to indigenous people who identify as what is referred to in western society as gender non-conforming or gender fluid). Driskill explained that in Cherokee, there are no gendered pronouns, and that colonialization created that issue, as two-spirit people have always existed in Cherokee nations. However, this preexisting and acceptance of two-spirit people cannot, as s/he emphasized, be romanticized as an overwhelming popularity and appreciation by the entire Cherokee and greater native American population.
At the conclusion of the lecture, a student asked, “What gives you hope?” Driskill responded quite candidly, “I have a lot of hope about the younger generation of folks.”
https://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/research/podcast/e178/ (Accompanying audio about 34 minutes)
RIA # 178: Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill on Indigenous & Two-spirit Studies
November 4, 2019 Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill
On this episode, Katie is joined by Qwo-Li Driskill, a (non-citizen) Cherokee Two-Spirit and Queer writer, activist, and performer also of African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent. They are the author of Walking with Ghosts: Poems (Salt Publishing, 2005) and the co-editor of Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature (University of Arizona, 2011) and Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions is Theory, Politics, and Literature (University of Arizona, 2011). Their book Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory (University of Arizona 2016) was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2017.
https://festival.artseverywhere.ca/presenter/qwo-li-driskill/
A FESTIVAL OF IDEAS — January 22 - 26, 2020 — Guelph [University in Guelph, Ontario, Canada]
Qwo-Li Driskill
Qwo-Li Driskill is a (non-citizen) Cherokee Two-Spirit and Queer writer, activist, and performer also of African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent. S/he is the author of several books, including Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory, a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2017. S/he is the Director of Graduate Studies Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University.
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Four tribes (Cherokee, Lenape, Osage, and Lumbee), yet can't produce a relative from any of them....?
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Some more information. Driskill claims descent from their mother as well as their father, and this is the source of the Cherokee claim. The whole article isn't available free, but on this page the claim is made:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08989575.2017.1289032?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=raut20
"My mother is Cherokee, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Black. My father was Irish and Osage but thought of himself as Irish and had little connection to his Osage history."
In this article, in footnote 6 on page 162, they specifically claim a "Black Cherokee tradition." The article includes discussions of doing theatre workshops specifically for Indigenous people not in Indigenous communities.
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NNL/NNL_13.pdf
Here they discuss weaving wampum and participating in Cherokee dance. http://www.beyondmasculinity.com/articles/driskill.php?page=1
As noted above, people aren't hired in academe because of their race or ethnicity, but this person is certainly gaining publishing and speaking opportunities, and being recognized as an authority on Cherokee traditions, based on their claims.
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From the Willamette Week:
https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/11/15/students-faculty-and-a-watchdog-say-oregon-state-university-is-ignoring-allegations-of-identity-fraud/
Students, Faculty and a Watchdog Say Oregon State University Is Ignoring Allegations of Identity Fraud
The accusations were leveled against a prominent professor—who claims to be the real victim.
By Nigel Jaquiss
November 15, 2023 at 6:11 am PST
Allegations of identity fraud against a distinguished professor and author are roiling Oregon State University, pitting faculty against one of their own and causing graduate students to turn against a mentor.
The catalyst that caused a long-simmering controversy to boil over: an investigative report released Oct. 25 by the North Carolina-based Tribal Alliance Against Frauds. The Indigenous watchdog group says it investigates people who “falsely represent American Indian cultures, histories, and spiritual practices and/or falsely claim American Indian identity as individuals for profit or fame.”
The most recent subject of the group’s scrutiny is Qwo Li Driskill, a tenured associate professor of Women, Gender and Sexual Studies & Queer Studies in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. Driskill, 48, identifies as “trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, and queer multiracial and Indigenous,” according to a faculty biography.
After a four-month investigation, the group determined Driskill’s claims of Indigenous and Black ancestry were bogus.
“The Tribal Alliance Against Frauds is asking Oregon State University to fire…Driskill for academic dishonesty and ethnic fraud unless Driskill makes a public statement admitting that they are not American Indian at all and gives a public apology,” the group wrote.
...
In this case, the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds alleged that Driskill’s claims of ancestral ties to the Cherokee, Lenape and Osage tribes were concocted.
“[Driskill has] zero ancestry from any American Indian tribal nation whatsoever,” the group’s report said. “This is supported by hundreds of unimpeachable genealogical documents that trace Driskill in a direct line back several generations on both sides of their family. It is also supported by letters from all the nations they falsely claim ancestry from.”
Read full article (https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/11/15/students-faculty-and-a-watchdog-say-oregon-state-university-is-ignoring-allegations-of-identity-fraud/)
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From the Willamette Week:
https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/11/15/students-faculty-and-a-watchdog-say-oregon-state-university-is-ignoring-allegations-of-identity-fraud/
The catalyst that caused a long-simmering controversy to boil over: an investigative report released Oct. 25 by the North Carolina-based Tribal Alliance Against Frauds. The Indigenous watchdog group says it investigates people who “falsely represent American Indian cultures, histories, and spiritual practices and/or falsely claim American Indian identity as individuals for profit or fame.”
Here is that report: https://tribalallianceagainstfrauds.org/%22qwo-li%22-driskill
At the bottom there is a downlodable fan chart of his genealogy, as well as five other PDF downloads.
The TAAF also maintains a Facebook page on the subject:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550909816574
[Proof that Paul Edward "Qwo-Li" Driskill is NOT American Indian]
TAAF also has a general FB page with lots of interesting posts:
https://www.facebook.com/p/TAAF-The-Tribal-Alliance-Against-Frauds-100067952795892/
The TAAF Twitter (X) page; https://twitter.com/TAAFisWatching
Some other news items sparked by the TAAF investigative report:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/diversity-equity/2023/11/07/oregon-state-professor-accused-falsely-claiming
https://gazettetimes.com/news/local/education/osu-professor-accused-of-faking-ancestry/article_0b373ddc-7a70-11ee-b5ef-77fb32edc1a7.html
Lastly, I will add this petition, started Nov. 9, 2023:
https://www.change.org/p/remove-professor-qwo-li-driskill-from-oregon-state-university-faculty
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Came across this today and just a quick note on the name "Qwo-Li". It appears Asian, but it is actually the Cherokee phonetization of "Paul". So it's Paul's attempt to turn "Paul" into a Cherokee sounding name.
At TAAF we're still hanging in there to work to get him fired from his university. A tall order for tenure professors. Most folks there can't stand him anyway. Especially his students. You'd think he wouldn't stay where he's clearly not wanted....
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Oct 10, 2024: Non-Binary Oregon State University Professor Steps Down After Being Accused Of Faking Mixed-Race Black-Indigenous “Two-Spirit” Identity (https://www.thepublica.com/non-binary-oregon-state-university-professor-steps-down-after-being-accused-of-faking-mixed-race-black-indigenous-two-spirit-identity/)
And earlier in the year:Allegations against OSU professor emerge as students come forward with complaints (https://dailybaro.orangemedianetwork.com/22327/daily-barometer-news/allegations-against-osu-professor-emerge-as-students-come-forward-with-complaints/)
Long overdue, but, finally. Let's hope he doesn't reinvent himself on the nuage workshop circuit or similar.
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Worth reposting the article in full, and definitely makes him a fraud.
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The alleged mistreatment was by Associate Professor Qwo-Li Driskill, who recently made headlines of false claims of Indigenous identity.
“(On) my first day grad students let me know of the ongoings within the department,” Gomez said. “Driskill’s aberrant behavior is abusive primarily toward people of color students.”
This account aligns with other graduate students, such as Ariana Berenice and Shaina Khan, who reported similar mistreatment in Driskill’s class.
In an open letter posted over the summer, graduate students of the OSU Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, wrote about their experiences with Driskill to bring attention to the issue.
Berenice, a second-year Ph.D. student also in the WGSS program, spoke about needing Zoom accommodation that had previously been made for others. Berenice said that Driskill would often deny these requests without giving reasons as to why.
Perplexed by this behavior, Berenice started speaking with others in her cohort about Driskill’s alleged mistreatment while trying to remain vague about who was being described.
However, most students would often guess–unprompted–that Berenice was inquiring about Driskill.
The more Berenice spoke about the issue of disregard for support for students in Driskill’s classes, the more concern started to surface.
Some students who came forward chose to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation.
Part of the grievance letter states, “Rumors have been spread that accuse us of transmisogyny and prejudice based on race and ethnicity. It seems that the louder we get, the louder these accusations get. As a consequence, many among the graduate student body are reluctant to speak.”
However, other students voiced how these issues with Driskill were “open secrets” spanning years.
“I started asking people to talk about these things because it was not fair. We all needed to be treated equally. The more I looked into it, I found that the white (students) were given the best treatment in the program,” Berenice said.
Some students noted the coursework for Driskills’ classes was a “dictatorship” and was overly time-consuming, similar to “working a full-time job.”
“After several months of demands that changes be made, little has changed, and most alarmingly, Driskill is still teaching in our program, despite our extensive grievances concerning their classroom practices and their treatment of graduate students,” they wrote.
Driskill could not be reached for comment, and the faculty in OSU’s WGSS program declined to comment on the matter.
As reports of mistreatment multiplied, students like Khan, a graduate student assistant for the WGSS department began urging a thorough investigation and accountability from OSU.
Khan said Driskill doesn’t take any feedback from students, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, which leaves no room for improvement of open communication for the graduate students with their professors.
As the mistreatment continued, Gomez called Cherokee Nation to see if there was any kind of familial connection, which, regardless of enrollment status, can define whether or not an individual is of Indigenous descent.
This sparked an investigation by the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, a watchdog organization that dedicates itself to exposing individuals who monetize identities that they have no claim to.
“We expose ethnic frauds pretending to be American Indian people or ‘tribes’ when they are not. We are researchers. We gather facts. We are the whistle-blowers,” their website states.
Driskill has claimed to have Cherokee, Lenape (Delaware) and Osage ancestry. They have also said they are not federally enrolled in any of those tribes.
Driskill identifies as queer and Two-Spirit, a blanket term used in various Indigenous languages, which describes the various nature of gender identification and their role in their community.
This identity involves having both a masculine and a feminine spirit to describe their diverse sexualities, gender identities, roles and how one may come to express them. However, it is not recognized as a blanket term in all Indigenous tribes.
Driskill earned their Ph.D. in rhetoric and writing, with a concentration in cultural rhetorics from Michigan State University. They have gone on to publish books “Walking with Ghosts,” which was nominated for the Griffin Poetry Prize, and “Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory,” a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2017.
In a press release addressed to OSU from October 2023, TAAF accused Driskill of falsifying their Indigenous identity. They claimed to have “hundreds of unimpeachable genealogical documents” to prove that Driskill was falsifying their identity.
The TAAF also called for OSU to “fire Qwo-Li Driskill for academic dishonesty and ethnic fraud, unless Driskill makes a public statement admitting that they are not American Indian at all and gives a public apology.”
Oregon State University doesn’t have any policies set in place to vet potential staff or faculty when applying for positions that teach specific subjects dealing with identity like Two-Spirit queer studies.
“OSU does not consider race or ethnicity in admissions or faculty recruitment or promotion,” stated the Vice President for University Relations and Marketing Rob Odom in an email.
“This goes back years and it will continue to reverberate. OSU has to be held accountable. The allegations of (Driskill’s) fraudulent identity go back to 2009. OSU had been notified of their false Indigenous identity,” Gomez said. “They have harmed so many students with zero repercussions.”
Speaking out also comes with the risk of vulnerability. Gomez, Berenice and Khan all expressed various instances of suspected retaliation on Driskill’s behalf.
They felt Driskill was using their identity as a trans nonbinary queer and weaponizing it in a way of accusing the grad students of intolerance and discrimination.
These tactics, however, will not keep the students silent. The student activists are made up of various intersecting identities such as queer, trans, Indigenous, Black and brown among others, and they say they know what it’s like to have to fight to be seen and heard.
The graduate students suspect that Driskill spread inflammatory rumors around the WGSS department about the student activists who reported Driskill as having bigoted views of trans, queer and Indigenous identities once Driskill realized their own behavior was no longer being tolerated.
Student activists are taking online action in the form of petitions like the one on Change.org, calling for the removal of Qwo-Li Driskill from OSU faculty.
These students who came forward said they are dedicated now more than ever to see that justice is seen through, the grad students explained.
At the moment, Driskill is still a professor at the university for winter term.
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Worth reposting the article in full, and definitely makes him a fraud.
The article you reposted is this one:
And earlier in the year: Allegations against OSU professor emerge as students come forward with complaints (https://dailybaro.orangemedianetwork.com/22327/daily-barometer-news/allegations-against-osu-professor-emerge-as-students-come-forward-with-complaints/)