Exposing wild stories about the fraudsters who pretend to be Indigenous.

Pretendians

Hosted by Robert Jago and Angel Ellis

What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and professors have in common? They aren’t Indigenous. 

There are hundreds of cases of Indigenous identity fraud that we know about, and likely thousands that we do not. So why do these so-called “pretendians” do it? How do they pull it off? And what happens when they are exposed? 

In each episode of this riveting new podcast series, co-hosts Robert Jago (Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe) and Angel Ellis (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) reveal unbelievable stories of audacious fraudsters and investigate the complex phenomenon of Indigenous identity theft. 


Pretendians
is a 2024 Signal Award Silver winner in the Documentary category and Best Co-Host Team categories.

Latest Episodes Most Popular

Bonus: Kudos and Karendians

Robert and Angel take listeners under the hood of season one of Pretendians.
July 15, 2024

#6 Indigenish

In the Season Finale of Pretendians we explore what makes people fake being Native
June 18, 2024

#5 Johnny Depp and the Hollywood Phonies

Being a Pretendian is a Hollywood tradition!
June 11, 2024

#4 Pretendian Hunters

What happens when Pretendian investigations go wrong?
June 4, 2024

#3 Make Native America Great Again

Kevin Stitt gave hope to the native people in Oklahoma when he announced his intention to run for Oklahoma Governor.
May 28, 2024

#2 Pretending in Prison

How do you get access to Native Programs in prison? Just say that you’re Indigenous
May 21, 2024

#1 Interview With a Pretendian

Why do people pretend to be Native? We begin our journey by asking someone who would know best: a pretendian.
May 14, 2024

Coming Soon: Pretendians (Official Trailer)

What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and thinkers have in common?
May 7, 2024
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