Red Flags in If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
pretendians gonna pretend, I guess.
Let's take a look at some of the terms I've searched in a Libby copy of If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens to see if any of the rep is off. The New York post has put out an article claiming she is not the Indigenous person she claims to be. Namely Cherokee (why are they always Cherokee ðŸ˜) and Choctaw.
Number One
why is Pen not enrolled?? That's absolutely a requirement for the Cherokee Nation. A simple Google search would let you know that they are one of the MOST documented tribes in the country. It can be a pain but the heritage center is right there in Tahlequah, only a phone call away from helping you search your family tree. Plus, the Cherokee are sensitive to this. They're the number one most falsely claimed Nation.
An earnest story might question why and how someone is distanced from their Cherokee family and therefore unenrolled, but the only proper answers are that there is some nasty domestic violence in the family, or they were adopted out. (And these are both are like less than a percent of cases)
None of this nonsense about not being able to find birth certificates. The heritage center will let you know....
and
so obviously she has tried. Or at least researched trying? Who knows. I don't know if she has actually submitted and been denied or if she has just not submitted.
Please note, this is about Cherokee specifically. Enrollment itself is a massively touchy issue within Indian Country. There is no one answer because each separate nation is sovereign in determining who is a part of it. Much to the annoyance of pretendians.
Of course, Colby must be aware of this because she has been defending it (and acting like these rules apply to the extremely documented Cherokee and Choctaw when they dont, but yes, might for other tribes) for years. It's all in the vagueness (or maybe ignorance?) when speaking about Native issues.
Luckily for Colby, someone did all the ancestry legwork for her.
Also, from Neil's pov...
why was his family not enrolled? It's super duper hard to enroll in the Choctaw Nation. Why weren't they already? What connection was lost? And why does Neil feel enough just by being enrolled? Shouldn't he be reconnecting? Where does his confidence come from?
Speaking from experience, even enrolled Natives don't feel like they're enough. They never do. Which is why it's absolutely infuriating when non-Natives pull this pretendian bullshit.
Number 2
what the fuck is a death box. In a sample group of seven, not a single Cherokee person I've asked has any idea what this is.
Google doesn't even know what this is. If someone can find literally any resource on this, please let me know.
Number 3
So it seems Neil knows the worl involved in how to write a book with Choctaw characters, but I have to wonder if Colby did any of this.
Number 4
their last names are Storm and Skinner.
How.
This may be a silly point but those are super superficial Native coded names. Good gracious.
Number 5
Lets revisit the basic concept again. Penelope Skinner writes horror books with Native characters that don't sell well but Neil Storm writes horror books with non-Native characters and is a bestseller? She is upset he doesn't stand up for Native content and write it in his books? As if she gets to say what is good rep? She throws a book at his head?
My first thought is that I want to imagine Stephen Graham Jones's editor telling him to tone down the Native content. It's laughable.
Second, even if it weren't how toxic is this? The Native community is super supportive. Why would we tear down someone? There are plenty of famous Native authors who don't write Native books and are killing it. What sort of rep is this?
It sort of hits the nail on the head. Is Colby trying to say that she knows how to write Native rep? Pen never apologizes for these feelings. They just get validated. That is not okay. She is saying there is only one way for a Native character to write Native content?
I would say that is a messy thought worth exploring IF the character changes. But she doesn't. She stays toxic and beats poor Neil into submission. The audacity. If you ask me the author is projecting her own struggles.
And okay, surface level? This messiness is absolutely a great story. But it needed different framing and it needed apologies and learning instead of shifting the blame elsewhere. (We have a lot we can blame colonization on, but George Washington did not possess Penelope and throw the book at Neil's head, she did it all on her own) (actually if that had happened it probably would have been a better ghost story) It needed an authentic lens and it has none.
It makes me actually tear up knowing that this was written in a way that can be used to defend herself. How long have Indigenous people been colonized and erased? How dare she write that tearing down a Native author made her feel whole? Even if it is from a character who supposedly learns it just kills me inside. I can already see her screaming lateral violence about this shit.
Number 6
The only times either character mention their tribe is... well in example number one up there and then this,
that's it. Just those two times. And Neil?
only the time above in example three when he talks about research. Other than that they never mention their tribes at all. Also I guess the side character Daniela is choctaw/Irish? Cool for her I guess.
Number 7
saved the best for last,
of course she puts this validating pretendian propaganda message in her book. While very cleverly never mentioning their tribes.
"A system created by colonizers" undermines every piece of sovreignty granted to Nations who repeatedly say they get to set the terms of membership.
🙄
Notes
I want to reiterate the caveat, this book, and Colby, are about the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations. Enrollment matters here. Unless you are a freedmen fighting for your rights, it is incredibly clear that some form of citizenship/membership is required. There are over 500 tribes in the US. They are all sovereign. Rules that apply to one do not apply to others. I'm looking at this through a lens of Cherokee and Choctaw only.
Also,
In all fairness, having these family lore type stories is incredibly common for people from Oklahoma. I wouldn't blame her, or her parents, maybe even grandparents, for truly believing that they are Cherokee and Choctaw. But it's a tough pill to swallow when you find out you arent.
The best way forward now is to apologize and find sensitivity readers, or better yet, take the Native plots out of future books. You live you learn. You can make a good ally.
PS: Someone needs to find me an arc of If I Dig You. I can't imagine what a story about Cherokee Gold looks like. Yikes.
ETA: Colby has made a statement and said she won't write Native characters anymore, which is great. I still am nosy and kinda want that If I Dig you arc, but oh well. Also with the reveals of her attitude towards her bipoc colleagues (holy shit) I doubt she will ever be much of an ally.
My biggest takeaway here is that the statement is nice but an apology is nowhere to be found. Rip.