A News investigation of the charges before a CU panel reveals strong evidence of possible misconduct by the professor
Shadows of doubt
News finds problems in all four major areas before CU panel.
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At issue
Did Ward Churchill falsely accuse the U.S. Army of using smallpox as a weapon of genocide against American Indians?
Our findings
His claim isn't supported by the sources he has cited.
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At issue
Did Churchill commit plagiarism by publishing the work of others as his own?
Our findings
An essay he "prepared" for a book was actually taken from a Canadian scholar.
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At issue
Did Churchill mischaracterize two important pieces of federal Indian law?
Our findings
His contentions about the Dawes Act of 1887 and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 are incorrect.
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At issue
Did Churchill misrepresent himself as having American Indian ancestry?
Our findings
His assertions that he is descended from Cherokee and Creek ancestors aren't supported by extensive genealogical records.
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Todd Heisler © News
Silent monument: A reconstruction of On-A-Slant Village stands along the Missouri River near Mandan, N.D. The village was inhabited until the late 1700s, when the Mandan Indians were driven away by smallpox.
The charge:
Fabrication
Did Ward Churchill falsely accuse the U.S. Army in smallpox epidemic?
John Temple: Ward Churchill responds to our series
Blog »
The year was 1837, the place was the Upper Missouri River Valley in present-day North Dakota, the disease was smallpox, and the effects on American Indians were devastating. None of that is in dispute.
One key fact is: how the disease got there. Numerous historical accounts put the blame in the same place - infected travelers on a steamboat bound for a trading post called Fort Clark who unwittingly spread the illness to several members of the Mandan tribe, unleashing an epidemic that decimated the region's indigenous population. Enter Ward Churchill.
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Kevin Vaughan talks with Churchill about how Churchill believes an 1837 smallpox outbreak in present-day North Dakota originated. The outbreak affected the Mandan Indians and many other people of the region. Vaughan and Churchill also address Churchill's citations on his work concerning the outbreak.
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