Pretendian Madness
From guilty pleas to cancel, please
Faking your identity is hard work! Just ask the Pretendian figures who have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced in federal court in the last couple of weeks:
Jorge Aaron Riley, a self-proclaimed “French-speaking Native American Messianic Jewish right-wing conservative Republican,” admitted he was wrong for participating in a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, all in support of Donald Trump. He showed up to federal court for his plea hearing with feathers in his hair, of course. Needless to say, he didn’t get any “land back.”
Lewis Anthony Rath admitted he violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act for misrepresenting his bizarre art as being from the San Carlos Apache Tribe when he just stole ideas from Pacific Northwest Native cultures. Oh, he also admitted he was illegally in possession of eagle feathers. He will be sentenced in May.
Jerry Chris Van Dyke, also known as Jerry Witten, admitted to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act as well. He claimed to be from the Nez Perce Tribe while stealing Alaska Native designs using supplies provided by a non-Native gallery owner. Make that make sense in 2023! He’s also being sentenced in May.
And then there’s Kevin Charles Kowalis, who admitted to breaking the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and was sentenced for it. He pretended his art was “Navajo” and “Zuni” even though it had been acquired from the Philippines, which as far as Pretendian Country Today is aware, is not an actual tribal nation. #NoBorders
So what’s next, you ask? Well for now we know that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is considering legislation that would beef up enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. You can read about the draft discussion bill of the Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent Act of 2023, also known as the ARTIST Act, over on Indianz.Com.
But we all know why you’re really here. Just WHO is next to fall in the never-ending Pretendian saga?
Well according to one Pretendian figure — it’s them! Regan Brook Loggans (they/them), a self-described “agitator” also known as Regan de Loggans, has been playing the victim card really hard on their Instagram account, lamenting how they have fallen from grace ever since Indianz.Com wrote about them over a year ago.