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
The Dawes Act: Ward Churchill says that the Dawes Act of 1887, a copy of which is shown at the CU Law Library, established a "blood quantum" to define Indian identity on racial grounds.
The charge:
Mischaracterization
Did Ward Churchill portray two federal Indian laws incorrectly?
John Temple: Ward Churchill responds to our series
Blog »
At the center of Ward Churchill's scholarship is his steady contention that the U.S. government has sought to deal with American Indians by wiping them out.
Sometimes the method was outright war. Other times, according to Churchill's works, it was as surreptitious as the intentional spreading of deadly disease.
But in Churchill's telling of a troubled history, there are also sinister government attempts to legislate tribes out of existence by establishing a "blood quantum" standard to determine who is Indian.
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