Talk:Owl Goingback

Not Indigenous

I realize the vast majority of editors mean well, and simply don't know how to properly check or vet these things. That's why we at the Indigenous wikiproject wrote this: Determining Native American and Indigenous Canadian identities. The subject of this article doesn't claim a Nation in any of these sources, and I know of no Nation that claims him. This is why the claim was removed until a recent contributor added it back. I've removed it again.

All the sources for his claims are self-penned bios, on sites that are not known for fact-checking, and that have never been known to check with tribes/nations. I don't recall his birth name right off hand, but "Owl Goingback" is his pen name. He's not Native. - CorbieVreccan ^☊ ☼ 20:42, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

I just checked his personal site. While his bio there is almost identical to what he submits to the SF/Horror sites, and he does still say he "lectures" on "American Indian" topics, he seems to have dropped his claim to being Native himself. At least on that site. - CorbieVreccan ^☊ ☼ 20:56, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

His real name (before he had it legally changed) is James Heidbrink and has no native ancestry. Not sure if this source meets wiki standards, but they did an exhaustive investigation into him and found all of his genealogy records. https://tribalallianceagainstfrauds.org/owl-goingback Craigstealssheep (talk) 17:58, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

There are now some third-party sources that cite that site, IIRC. They also source-jump to something like the records in FL where the name change was done. I don't have the article at hand, but I think it's one that came out recently. I'm not sure about citing the TAAF website, but if the website is now cited by a news outlet that is considered WP:RS, I think it would probably meet inclusion criteria, for the content published on the third-party, RS site - CorbieVreccan ^☊ ☼ 21:58, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

This is the article that has the details. The first views of it are free, but after that there is a paywall: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-native-american-activists-exposing-celebrity-race-fakers They also spoke to the BLP subject and confirmed the name change with the courthouse records. Here's an excerpt:

(Goingback told The Daily Beast that he did not respond to TAAF’s questions because the organization has “no actual authority to make such demands, and it is foolish to argue with internet trolls.”)

According to TAAF, Goingback legally changed his name from James Russell Heidbrink. The Daily Beast confirmed through online Seminole County court documents that it took place in 2000. TAAF also compiled a family tree that the group says showed the majority of his father’s family traces back to Europe, and his mother’s side were always labeled as “white” on U.S. census reports.

TAAF also included letters from both the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes that said neither Heidbrink nor his ancestors were descendants of enrolled members. Goingback maintained to The Daily Beast that his family is not currently enrolled because they do not “want to be considered wards of the federal government,” despite Indigenous nations being sovereign from the government.

from - https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-native-american-activists-exposing-celebrity-race-fakers. I'd say this counts as a third party source on the name change and prior name. As the reporters both confirm the letters from the tribes, as well as the quote from the subject himself, this also confirms he has no descent or citizenship from either of the tribes he claims 1/2 from. Given all of this, I think these points can be included. - CorbieVreccan ^☊ ☼ 22:01, 6 August 2023 (UTC)

Yes, I agree with the new source, the article can be updated with relevant information.  oncamera  _{(talk page)} 23:08, 6 August 2023 (UTC)

I have specifically updated the page to add in-line attributions to the various sources, including Orlando Weekly, Daily Beast, and TAAF. I have also added the author's response on his website. I think this clarifies the different claims made by different sources regarding his heritage and name change(s). However, I think there is still work to do in terms of organizing, perhaps by chronology? Michelangelo1992 (talk) 23:08, 23 March 2024 (UTC)