Bye-Bye Phony: Woman Leaves University Residency After FAKING Native American Heritage

This ending is the case with Kay LeClaire, who, for quite some time, has pretended to be Native American and part of multiple heritages, including Metis, Oneida, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Cuban, and Jewish, according to a report by the New York Post.

Kay LeClaire, aka Katie and Kathryn, is married to Adam Pagenkopf, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin. According to Fox News, Kay LeClaire is also part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison environment. The university awarded LeClaire $5,000 for a 10-week residency with the goal being to develop a “toolkit and curriculum around cultural appropriation.”

LeClaire pretended to adopt and view things through Indigenous eyes and, by doing so, got involved in other aspects of the Indigenous community, including an artistic tattoo shop. LeClaire was outspoken on Native American issues, such as criticizing the white owners of a music venue for profiting from Native American identities.

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February 01, 2023

LeClaire said, “I’m glad the owners have decided to no longer profit from the identities of indigenous peoples.” “The name change is in response to their anger and potential loss of white people’s money rather than a misrepresentation of [an] education from Indigenous peoples. Once again, white folks’ emotions, labor, and intentions carry more weight than ours.”

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There was also criticism of the university for flying a tribal flag displayed during National Native American Heritage Month or flown on Indigenous People’s Day. LeClaire alleged these moves were performative.

February 01, 2023

LeClaire’s fraudulent behavior came to light when a user in the online forum “New Age Fraud Forum” called LeClaire out about the many eyebrow-raising claims made. The user said, “I came across ‘nibiiwakamigkwe’ (LeClaire’s Ojibwe title) when information on one of their performances showed up in my social media newsfeed.”

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The forum user continued, “They [were] only identified by a single Anishinaabe name which piqued my interest about whether we could have friends or family [in common]. Their bio contained language often associated with people [that may be] misrepresenting their race or ethnicity.”

Once the forum user laid out LeClaire’s ancestry and dissected the false claims surrounding the Indigenous identity, it prompted broader speculation from others.

LeClaire agreed to return the funds awarded by the University of Wisconsin.