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A review by justabean_reads
Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity by Darryl LeRoux
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I was surprised to see a book by a white dude on Michelle Good's Indigenous history reading list, but I now see why she put it there. The point is that LeRoux is 100% a white dude, and having a handful of Indigenous ancestors dating back to the seventeenth century doesn't make him any less 100% a white dude. He's perfectly positioned to point out that people using some combination of real, aspirational and lateral indigenous ancestry (usually dating back twelve generations) are in fact full of shit when they claim to be métis.
Which people are doing by the thousands, almost always in an effort to oppose the land and resource rights of the Indigenous people living in Quebec. LaRoux lays out the case brilliantly, making clear the difference between being part of an Indigenous community on one hand and whatever this is on the other. He illustrates his theory with research by Indigenous scholars, examples from his own family history, court cases, media statements, and a good deal of genealogy sleuthing. It's very well put together, and the case is convincing. It's pretty clear by the end of the book that the majority of the eastern métis movement is white supremacist at heart. I'd heard vague rumblings that this was going on, but the level of open racism is striking. There's some bullshit going on in Quebec! (And elsewhere, but the book focuses on Quebec.)
Which people are doing by the thousands, almost always in an effort to oppose the land and resource rights of the Indigenous people living in Quebec. LaRoux lays out the case brilliantly, making clear the difference between being part of an Indigenous community on one hand and whatever this is on the other. He illustrates his theory with research by Indigenous scholars, examples from his own family history, court cases, media statements, and a good deal of genealogy sleuthing. It's very well put together, and the case is convincing. It's pretty clear by the end of the book that the majority of the eastern métis movement is white supremacist at heart. I'd heard vague rumblings that this was going on, but the level of open racism is striking. There's some bullshit going on in Quebec! (And elsewhere, but the book focuses on Quebec.)