"Iron Eyes" Cody (1904–1999)[79][80] – Born as Espera Oscar de Corti, and came to be known as "The Crying Indian". An Italian-American actor most well known for his appearance in a 1970's anti-littering commercial. Cody pretended to be from various tribes and denied his Italian heritage for the rest of his life.

Josh Sargent, a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk community in upstate New York, where Hoover researched the impact of industrial contamination in the St. Lawrence River for her dissertation, said she’s “a good person and always welcome here.” Debates about her identity seem to be taking place in the “bubble of academia,” he said, while the real challenges facing Native people are being overlooked. He said she’s doing important work, and her book, “The River Is in Us,” accurately depicted the environmental harm suffered by his community. “I hope people read it.”

But in recent months, she’s been labeled a “Pretendian,” a high-profile figure in academia, publishing or entertainment who is accused of using a false Native American identity for money, fame or professional opportunities.