Why do people fake Indigenous ancestry?

Ever since author Joseph Boyden was called out for his claims of being an Indigenous author, every few weeks seems to bring a new story of a prominent researcher, writer or academic who has exaggerated or falsified their Indigeneity in order to secure grants or posts. But it's not just them, the numbers of people claiming Indigenous heritage in general has skyrocketed.

What changed? Why are these claims only being parsed now? What do people who make these claims stand to gain, and how does it harm people of actual Indigenous ancestry?

GUEST: Michelle Cyca, writing in The Walrus

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