David McQuain AKA David Fourfeathers

[educatedindian]

Got a request about him. He's an artist and silversmith, site is davidfourfeathers.com

This is somewhat different from the usual people we report on. McQuaine is not accused of being a ceremony seller or passing himself off as a healer.

He is using a claim of being NDN to sell his art. But looking at the wording on his site, he is careful to not say he is enrolled or that his works are Cherokee/Creek. Instead he makes it clear he learned from a Navajo, but never calls it Navajo jewelry. This is a gray area, and technically not illegal, but deceptive.

McQuain says his family is from OK, Cherokee/Creek, but does not say which ancestor(s). He says elsewhere he is 1/4. He's not enrolled I think, or no doubt would be using that fact to sell his jewelry as NDN made.

[milehighsalute]

we should have another section for people who fall in this area.....believe it or not a lot of europeans read this site....we can cockblock some of their european sales 

[Epiphany]

Born: January 8, 1941

I have taught since 1998 and began a small Native American Arts business as I am a quarter blood Cherokee and Chickasaw and have also been a Northern Traditional Powwow dancer here in Southern California.

http://www.azbluerockers.com/blog/featured-artist/david-four-feathers-mcquain/

David Edward McQuain, a son of Walter Floyd and Margaret Wray (Kelly) McQuain, was born in Cowley County KS January 8, 1941.

http://hackerscreek.com/norman/MCQUAIN.htm This family history site says his ancestor Alexander McQuain came from Scotland to USA about 1773.

Through the Ancestry site I can see other branches of his family, I don't see any NDN mentioned at all. Everyone in census is white from what I've seen. The only Cherokee I've found is that some ancestors lived in a placed called Cherokee, in Payne County, Oklahoma. They were white farmers.

David also says he is Scotch-Irish, I don't know if that is true, Scotch-Irish is a specific group of people, means more than just being Scottish and Irish. He does have Scottish and Irish in his genealogy, don't know if any were Scotch-Irish.

began a small Native American Arts business as I am a quarter blood Cherokee and Chickasaw

This sounds to me like he is saying "I can sell things as Native American Arts because I am a quarter blood Cherokee and Chickasaw". If so, he needs to be much clearer about his heritage, tell us who his ancestors are.

[Defend the Sacred]

David also says he is Scotch-Irish, I don't know if that is true, Scotch-Irish is a specific group of people, means more than just being Scottish and Irish. He does have Scottish and Irish in his genealogy, don't know if any were Scotch-Irish.

Yes, the Scots-Irish are a particular group of people, Scottish people who lived in the North of Ireland for a time. It usually denotes a particular position in terms of the political history of the region (see The Plantation of Ulster, for example).

Most of the Americans who call themselves "Scotch-Irish" don't know much about the culture before their people came to America. Since, well, Scots are people and Scotch is a drink. It's very common for Americans of Scottish heritage to also have some Irish ancestry, and vice-versa; a strong swimmer can make it between the two countries, after all, and the initial Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland were settled by folks from Ireland, many centuries ago. It's also very common for Americans to not know any of this history, and call themselves Scots-Irish (or worse, Scotch-Irish), just because they have both lines and don't know any better.

[Shelleyfontenelle]

My Motber was married to this man, David McQuain in 1963. He is not only guilty of falsely claiming Indian status but he is guilty of military fraud. He claims on his website he was in the marines and calls himself four feathers for the four tours he served when in fact he was dishonorably discharged from the navy after being in for only a few months. My Mother still has his Navy picture and a copy of his discharge papers. He is a fraud on every level and should be avoided. My Mother and I both have had to live with the damage he created in our lives that I dare not even speak of in this forum. That would be a matter for the law which statute of limitations won't allow any action.

[Epiphany]

SF, is a civil suit against McQuain possible?

Can his discharge papers be scanned and posted here? You could also send them to any Stolen Valor type groups.

He has posted on genealogy forums about his ancestry. He insists his claims are true. But he has no sources, evidence, or even agreement from other family researchers.

[Shelleyfontenelle]

Exactly, he will never get validation or responses from anyone on ancestry because he is not Cherokee whatsoever. Ive turned him into stolen valor as you suggested, thank you! . He is such a fraud, molested and beat me over and over from the age of 4-7 years old. I will never ever forget or let him forget that I remember. It damaged me in so many ways.

[educatedindian]

I'm always at loss to say after hearing such painful personal accounts. Other than to say it takes courage to come forward, and hopefully it's for the best if it helps warn others.