Who is Margaret Noodin? University of Milwaukee professor accused of lying about being Native American amid rambling apology
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Former colleagues of Margaret Noodin, a university professor of American Indian studies, have expressed their shock and disappointment after she confessed to having no evidence of Native American ancestry, as per Daily Mail.
Noodin, who earned $167,000 a year, faced accusations of deception and was even branded a 'con artist' after stepping down from her role as the director of the Electa Quinney Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee due to mounting suspicions regarding her claims of indigenous heritage.
Margaret Noodin began career as Ojibwe language instructor in Michigan
Margaret Noodin's academic journey took a contentious turn when fellow academic Doug Kiel, who belongs to Wisconsin's Oneida Nation, exposed inconsistencies in her claims during an exhibition of indigenous art in Chicago.
Kiel's scrutiny of her 'rambling babble' in the positionality statement left no room for doubt. According to him, Noodin's justifications did not align with the accepted standards for establishing Native American heritage.
Noodin began her career as an Ojibwe language instructor in Michigan and was appointed to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2014.
However, her claims about Native American identity were questioned in 2021 on the New Age Fraud forum, leading her to report the allegations to the university administration the following year.
Throughout the controversy, she denied lying about her heritage, emphasizing that her belief in her indigenous background stemmed from her family's accounts. She candidly acknowledged her inability to pinpoint a specific tribal nation from which she descended.
Her connection to the Ojibwe tribe and the community she had built over the years were her primary bases for asserting her identity.
Margaret Noodin's 'positionality statement' raised more questions
Amid the escalating controversy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Dean Scott Gronert offered an apology to Noodin for the challenges she had faced concerning her identity.
In response, Noodin shared a 'positionality statement,' which raised more questions than answers.
Instead of delving into her connections to the Ojibwe tribe or her family history, the statement name-dropped numerous individuals she had worked with, those she had married, and her birth name, O'Donnell. This left many observers unsatisfied.
In her online post, Noodin declared, "My understanding of my own race and ethnicity has evolved over time, and there are many ancestors I look forward to meeting when I leave this world."
She elaborated on her involvement in various cultural activities, emphasizing her commitment to learning and teaching the language of her ancestors.
Margaret Noodin's students and colleagues respond to the revelation
The admission that she had no concrete proof of her Native American ancestry came as a shock to former students and colleagues who felt that they had been misled.
Antonio Doxtator, a Oneida Nation citizen and former student, expressed his feelings of betrayal, stating that he would not have taken Noodin's classes had he known she was not Native American.
Howard Kimewon, an instructor at the University of Michigan, went further, labeling Noodin a 'con artist' who exploited his knowledge of Ojibwe to advance her own career, causing lasting damage.
While Noodin's status at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is under investigation, she remains employed as an online part-time instructor.
However, she did step down from her high-paying role as director of the Electa Quinney Institute amidst the ongoing controversy.
Notably, Noodin has secured a new position in Minnesota as the director of a tribal nation's Head Start program.
Despite the backlash, Noodin defended her commitment to her family and the communities where she is accepted. Her statement suggests that she aims to honor her ancestors without denying or erasing oral family histories.
However, Assistant Professor Kiel, one of her critics, has expressed doubts about her credibility and called for her to make amends.