University professor speaking in Sioux Falls accused of being 'pretendian'

Author is supposed to talk about Wounded Knee occupation and political fallout

A university professor slated to give a speech in Sioux Falls later this year is being dogged by allegations that he is not the Native American he says he is.

University of Kansas history professor Kent Blansett is the scheduled keynote speaker at the Northern Great Plains History Conference in September. The content of his speech centers on the political history of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation. Blansett’s academic biography asserts he is a descendant of five Native American tribes: the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Shawnee and Potawatomi.

But Blansett has been the subject of a website that exposes academics whose claims of Native ancestry aren’t supported by genealogical records. The latest post on ancestorstealing.blogspot.com featuring Blansett came in June. The anonymous website, titled “Fake Indians,” has published generations of genealogical records on subjects that claim to be Native American.

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