Malea Powell (was potential frauds?)

[Cidleon]

Does anyone have research or findings on potential frauds in Michigan, Judy Tawas Sina (aka Judy Ferris or Farris) and/or Malea Powell?

Thanks,

Dr Gaween

[Diana]

Can you give us a little more info?? Like, where in Michigan? What exactly are they doing to make you think they're frauds?

[Smart Mule]

Malea Powell is on Jacqueline Keeler's Alleged Pretendian list as debunked (not Native)                                                                                                         https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zl7VS1l9hmsN9yXXTn6AinwRS5hmnFMoSihcHT2BH44/edit#gid=0

[educatedindian]

Haven't found anything on Tawas/Sina. Literally nothing online on any combination of names. Farris is so common it's hard to find anyone who might fit.

Keeler's list is frustrating, allegations and claims of "debunked" but no evidence shown. Powell says she is of the Miami in Indiana. This is one of many tribes who had their recognition ended by federal Termination.

[verity]

From "Blood and Scholarship: One Mixed-Blood's Story" in the book "Race, rhetoric, and composition" edited by Keith Gilyard 1999, Malea Powell authored quotes:

"I identify myself as an Eastern Miami, Shawnee, Welsh mixed-blood."

"I use 'mixed-blood' as a figurative description for a person who 'lives' between cultures that are epistemologically contradictory and that experience asymmetrical power relations."

Powell's mother was born Nan Ellen Roe, 22 Dec 1942, Kokomo, Indiana. She passed on 17 Aug 1996, Indiana.
One of Powell's mother's spouses was Rex Rudolph Meiring.

[verity]

Focusing on Malea Powell's mother, since Powell dedicates an essay to her:

Nan Ellen Roe is listed as white on marriage certificate to Rex R Meiring (she was Nan E. Powell at the time). She listed white on death certificate.

Both of Nan's parents are listed white in census. Their Indiana birth certificates name their respective parents, who are all listed as white.

These records obtained through ancestry.com. This family is very well documented in multiple records.

[verity]

An important record when researching Malea Powell's mother Nan Ellen Roe:

Name:    Nan Ellen Roe [Nan Ellen Powell] [Nan Meiring]
Gender:    Female
Race:    White
Birth Date:    22 Dec 1942
Birth Place:    Kokomo Howar, Indiana
Death Date:    17 Aug 1996
Father:    
Arthur P Roe
Mother:    
Ladawna W Burgan
SSN:    303428942
Notes:    Feb 1957: Name listed as NAN ELLEN ROE; Oct 1961: Name listed as NAN ELLEN POWELL; Feb 1968: Name listed as NAN ELLEN MEIRING; 16 Sep 1996: Name listed as NAN E MEIRING

----------

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

[verity]

Quotes from the earlier mentioned essay by Malea Powell:

For me, the trickster is central to imagining a "mixed-blood rhetoric".

Because I am a rhetorician, I hope that these stories have been persuasive or at least provocative. Because I am an Indian, I hope these stories have urged you to listen and hear. But because I am a mixed-blood, I am willing to accept that neither of these may have occurred, and that I will have to try again.

Personally, I don't understand what this means. I read this as Powell saying "I'm acting like a trickster, don't believe what I say".

[verity]

Malea Dawn Powell's maternal great grandparents:

Walter Pearl Roe - white in military, census
Emma Ellen Thompson

Otto Clarence Burgan - white in census, marriage,  and death cert
Dora Marie Cass - white in census, marriage,  and death cert

[educatedindian]

I have no idea what she's trying to say in that writing either.

In the late 90s I went to Purdue for grad school. I saw one public meeting of the Miami of Indiana and was at a conference where their language immersion specialist spoke. The MOI are heavily intermarried. Almost all of them could pass as white, some blond or blue eyed. At the public meeting several of them described their grandparents as Miami, not themselves, or simply said they had family stories. My impression was that they are a mix of genuine NDNs and some who rely on family claims.  They were wrongfully terminated in the 50s, like dozens of other tribes. Hundreds of MOI have become members of the OK Miami.

[verity]

Malea Powell is listed as white in the marriage certificate uploaded here.

In a 1993 article she identified as "descended from the Miami tribe".

In the essay mentioned before is a confusing story, also uploaded here.

[verity]

Malea Dawn Powell's paternal grandfather, Floyd Gilbert Powell, extensive obit: https://web.archive.org/web/20211023022925/http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Floyd-G.-Powell-86394926

So her paternal grandparents are Floyd Gilbert Powell and Audrey R. Baker (Audrey may have also had the surname Speece) . Audrey's obit https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58428551/audrey-r.-powell

[Just changed title-Al]

[verity]

More on Malea Dawn Powell's paternal grandparents:

Floyd Gilbert Powell listed white in military records, census, death certificate. His parents listed white on his birth certificate.

Audrey Baker/Speece listed white in census, and also (along with Floyd) as white on children's birth certificates.

[verity]

From Native Authenticity: Transnational Perspectives on Native American Literary ...
edited by Deborah L. Madsen, chapter 4 by Malea Powell, note 1:

I could go on at length about why I haven't tried to enroll, despite the fact that I have all the necessary documentation to fill out an enrollment application, and become a 'card-carrying Indian' but that is beyond the scope of this essay (...)

I've looked over genealogical records along with skimming some of her academic writings. I've not found anything from her about why she believes what she says she believes about her heritage. No names of ancestors, no stories. Nothing about her childhood or current community.

The Miami Nation of Indiana (not federally recognized) has a tribal enrollment process based on historic tribal rolls, it is not a mysterious process. If she has actual records here in reality, I wonder why she doesn't discuss them. If her families were members of tribes wrongfully terminated, surely she would incorporate this as a professor in an American Indian Studies Program?

She also claims heritage related to the federally-recognized Miami Tribe of Oklahoma.

My impression is that she created this identity while in college.

[Advanced Smite]

I worked out a tree for Malea Powell over the weekend. I was able to get each line back to at least 1800 without finding a single direct ancestor that identified as Native American. The majority of her family were early settlers (prior to 1796) that came to the United States through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, etc. Almost all stopped over in Ohio and then settled in Indiana. Quite a few were Quakers. The early Quakers were impeccable record keepers. Also, Indiana is a great state for genealogy research as they release actual death certificates after a certain time period (not sure exactly, likely 50-100 years). Death certificates list both parents with their birth places and mother's maiden name. As Verity said, the family is very well documented. I stopped at 1800 for each line because at that point all the families were in east of Ohio - outside of the territory of the tribes she claims as her ancestors. I even traced step-parents back several generations to account for unique kinship situations without finding any evidence of Native American heritage.

Closest thing that I could find to Native American ancestry, is that her parent's had "Indian Love Song" played at their wedding 

Disclaimer: Research was completed using primary sources (census, birth and death records, obituaries, articles). NO Ancestry User Trees were used as they are unreliable. This research does not account for unknown paternity events or closed adoptions.