For a lifetime, Thomas King, acclaimed author of ‘The Inconvenient Indian,’ built his identity around a deeply held belief: he was Cherokee. His stories, his activism, his very being were interwoven with this understanding of his heritage.
Recently, a disquieting truth surfaced. After years of quietly dismissing whispers questioning his ancestry, King proactively sought answers, reaching out to the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds for investigation. The results were stark and undeniable.
The investigation revealed a painful absence. “No Cherokee on the King side. No Cherokee on the Hunt side. No Indians anywhere to be found,” he wrote, the words echoing with a profound sense of loss. The revelation, delivered just weeks ago, has left him reeling.
King’s mother, though rarely speaking of his absent father, had instilled in him the belief of Cherokee lineage. He clung to this memory, even attempting to trace his father’s family in Oklahoma, driven by a desire to validate the story he’d carried for decades.
The impact of this discovery is immense, extending far beyond personal identity. King acknowledges the central role Indigenous themes have played in his life’s work – his novels, his studies, even his doctoral dissertation. Now, he faces a reckoning with “a series of inconvenient truths.”
He admits to benefiting from being perceived as Native American, a privilege he now understands was not rightfully his. He anticipates the inevitable backlash, bracing for a “firestorm” of criticism and questioning.
King intends to return the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for arts and culture, recognizing its basis in his perceived ethnicity. However, he asserts that his other accolades stem from his writing itself, a distinction he hopes will endure.
Despite the devastation, King expresses a desire to continue supporting Indigenous communities and artists, even if they choose to distance themselves from his now-compromised position. He feels like a fractured man, “a one-legged man in a two-legged story,” grappling with the ruins of a lifelong belief.
He understands the human tendency to capitalize on misfortune, acknowledging that “human nature loves blood in the water.” Yet, amidst the rubble, he searches for a path forward, hoping to salvage something from the wreckage of his reputation and career.
