In Late December Kay LeClaire, also known as nibiiwakamigkwe, a prominent arts and activist figure in Madison was revealed to have fabricated their Métis, Oneida, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Cuban and Jewish heritage, and two-spirit identity. This revelation was made through research done by an anonymous self-described “hobbyist genealogist” and made public through the forum newagefraud.org. The detailed forum showed LeClaire’s maternal and paternal ancestry to be German, Swedish, and French Canadian, with no ancestral ties to the Native American Indian tribes they claimed. Additionally, it was uncovered that they were fraudulently passing artwork made by other artists as their own, including selling and displaying some Indigenous art that was bought off of Etsy.

LeClaire had been one of the co-founders of giige—an Indigenous and queer-led tattooing and arts collective—and has since been legally removed. LeClaire has also been removed from their arts residency with the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology. This story is still developing as LeClaire faces community consequences, as well as potential legal consequences due to their receiving grants and opportunities under a fraudulent Native identity, as well as misrepresenting the art they were selling.