Victoria Fortner is a fraud. Oh geez. I listened to about 5 mins of her herbtv YouTube video. That about says it all, but there is also this, sickening that she was given a diversity award by the American Herbalists Guild, but the research into who she is has already been done.
http://ancestorstealing.blogspot.ca/2015/11/victoria-fortner-medicine-woman.html?m=1"On October 11. 2014, Victoria passed away, you would think that her story of lies would end there, but it hasn't.
October 2015 Victoria was given an award in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by the American Herbalist Guild and the only positive thing I can think of about giving Fortner this award is that in the public release it does not say she is Shawnee. But multi culture she was not.
Victoria had volunteered in the prison system in Missouri system as a "spiritual adviser" for the Native American inmates. Do not let the word "volunteer" fool you, because she could apply and receive federal grant money for her activities claiming to be Indian when in fact she is not.
Victoria's obituary states she was a participant in "sundance" and "star dance". She was a "cerenonial leader and teacher" Shawnee are NOT of the Sundance, Shawnee women are NOT ceremonial leaders, and if anyone was "taught" by her, you were taken in by a scam.
Who was Victoria's family? Well, that is something she would not mention while she was living, but in her obituary, her mother, and maternal grandparents are listed, and that is all I needed. Her father is not listed but I found him...
Victoria Gene Fortner was born in Missouri, January 15, 1954 to Jerald Ashford Fortner and Nancy Ruth Hoy.
Jerald was the son of Clarence Fortner and Ethel Thoroughman, here is the 1940 US Federal Census
Name Ashford Fortner
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Normandy Township, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Gender Male
Age 36
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Head
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Birthplace Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated) 1904
Name Ethel Fortner
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Normandy Township, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Gender Female
Age 34
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Wife
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Birthplace Missouri
Birth Year (Estimated) 1906
Name Gerald Fortner
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Normandy Township, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Gender Male
Age 8
Marital Status Single
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Son
Relationship to Head of Household Son
Birthplace Missouri
Birth Year (Estimated) 1932
Name Clarence Fortner
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Normandy Township, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Gender Male
Age 59
Marital Status Divorced
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Father
Relationship to Head of Household Father
Birthplace Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated) 1881
It was good to see that Jerald's father, Clarence, was living with the family in 1940. He was born in Tennessee. I have traced this family back to the 1700's in Tennessee, North Carolina with no Shawnee ancestors. Not a one. In fact the name of Ashford comes from Clarence's wife, her maiden name was Ashford, and she named her son after her surname, her first name was Velma, she was born in Tennessee, as were her parents, Velma's mother's maiden name was Greenway. Here is a picture of that family.
Clarence signed up for the WWI Draft
On her Hoy side of the family, it too shows no Indian heritage. The obituary for Victoria states her grandparents were Harry and Ruth Hoy.
The 1940 US Federal Census for Harry, Ruth and Nancy. Interesting, their birth place is Pennsylvania.
Name Harry H Hoy
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Ward 1, Steelton, Steelton Borough, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender Male
Age 31
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Head
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Birthplace Pennsylvania
Birth Year (Estimated) 1909
Name Ruth L Hoy
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Ward 1, Steelton, Steelton Borough, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender Female
Age 31
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Wife
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Birthplace Pennsylvania
Birth Year (Estimated) 1909
Name Nancy R Hoy
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Ward 1, Steelton, Steelton Borough, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender Female
Age 5
Marital Status Single
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Daughter
Relationship to Head of Household Daughter
Birthplace Pennsylvania
Birth Year (Estimated) 1935
Harry H Hoy middle name is Houck, his mother was Christina Houck, She is the woman on the far right of this photo, all the women in the photo are sisters.
The family of Christina is the Meffert, and they trace into Germany. The Hoy/Houck families are all traced back to the 1700's once they arrived from their home countries.
Christina's father, Isaac Houck and mother Sarah Meffert.
Isaac Houck and Sarah death card.
This family was always in Pennsylvania until Harry Houck Hoy moved to Missouri with his wife which did not take place until after the birth of Nancy Ruth Hoy, mother of Victoria.
I am not going to "respect" Victoria for her profits upon her lies. I find it interesting that her sister,
Christine Heidenreich, does not claim to be Shawnee, at least, not in public. Does she know her sister was a scammer? I doubt we will ever hear from her.
Now comes. perhaps, the biggest disappointment, a issue that was not made public while Victoria Gene Fortner was living... that is, the National Museum of the American Indian to remove ALL work made by Victoria Fortner which is displayed as Native made. Victoria is not Shawnee, and of all places to promote a fake, this is disgraceful! It is disrespectful to all Indian artists to promote this woman on her fraudulent claims. There are way too many true Native artists who are far more deserving to be in NMAI.
Victoria broke the law time and time again by claiming to be a Shawnee Native America Artist. Even the many videos of her on youtube she claims to be a Shawnee artist. In her youtube video she displays more than just her corn husk dolls, her misrepresentation is here.
At this point in my life, my dream job would be at NMAI to clean out the fakes that have gotten their foot hold within a history that is not theirs."
