Countless authentic Native American tribes across America embark on the challenge to attain federal recognition that has been unjustly denied to them by the federal government. The tribes face numerous hurdles enacted on them by legislation and mayors. However, the main challenge that so many fail to endure is forced on them by self-declared nations that value self-served storytelling over truth-telling. 

Truthtelling encompasses characteristics such as transparency, factuality, and unbiasedness. One of the best examples of a tribe that preaches truth-telling as a whole is the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Muwekma remains unafraid to show all of its facts to consistently prove its authenticity, such as how the tribe is comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose as well as how the tribe was previously federally recognized as the Verona Band of Alameda County, and it was never terminated by an act of Congress. 

On the other hand, self-served storytelling tries to paint a narrative that is inherently nonfactual and manipulative for audiences. The tribes that display these qualities are referred to as pop-up self-declared tribes or nations. Self-declared nations attempt to gain funding and representation like authentic tribes but lack the facts and historical continuity to attain them.  In addition, self-declared tribes attempt to prove their existence by undermining authentic tribes in their area, creating confusion for viewers and governments.

This dangerous consequence was proven in the early 2000s when a self-declared nation known as the Little Shell Pembina Band presented itself as a legitimate tribe much to the dismay of the genuine Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The Little Shell Pembina Band received donations and grants from people and local governments, while simultaneously diverting necessary money away from the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. 

The Pembina Band now had stronger connections with the American government and pushed the Chippewa Indians out of their land, leaving them scattered and homeless. 

The Chippewa Indians were forced to restart, creating new settlements and regathering old members. The fraud put a severe dent in their hopes of attaining federal recognition. The Tribe was forced to make extra efforts to distinguish itself from the Little Shell Pembina Band, resulting in over a hundred-year extension to ultimately gain federal recognition. 

Just like the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Muwekma Ohlone tribe faces similar opposition from surrounding self-declared nations. One of which calls itself the Ramaytush Ohlone Tribe. Not only does the Ramaytush Ohlone Tribe attack Muwekma, calling them supremacist and misleading, but they fail to bring up the historical facts necessary for the approval of their existence. Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Charlene Nijmeh, stated that “The Ramaytush Ohlone Tribe has yet to provide any evidence that their direct ancestors were ever interviewed by anthropologists, historians, or Bureau of Indian Affairs officials at any point during the 20th century, and have yet to provide evidence that their direct ancestors spoke any Ohlone language dialect during the 20th century.”

If viewers and local governments fail to recognize the difference between authentic tribes like Muwekma and self-declared nations such as the Ramaytush, we will, unfortunately, be repeating history. Just like the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Muwekma would be kicked off of their rightful land, forced to restart, and their progress for federal recognition would be set back by hundreds of years. 

For Muwekma and other authentic tribes to avoid falling into the same trap as the Chippewa Indians, as a community, we need to make a difference. This means researching further into what history these nations truly have and if what they are boasting on their websites is real or fake. This could also mean taking the extra step and seeing what cultural and tribal practices these nations have to support their historical continuity. 

It is beyond essential to understand the difference between truth-telling and self-served storytelling for the preservation of all authentic Native American tribes in America.