Alberta premier says she didn’t do ‘deep dive’ into ancestry after Cherokee claims questioned

Article content

The office of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has not done a “deep dive into her ancestry,” but remains proud of her heritage, in the wake of a report calling into question her claims of Cherokee ancestry.

Article content

A story from APTN sought records from the United States and concluded there was little evidence for Smith’s claim that her great-grandmother was a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Article content

“Like so many Albertans that have origins from all over the world, Premier Smith has heard about her heritage from her loved ones,” said a statement from Rebecca Polak, Smith’s press secretary. “Her family has spoken for years about their ancestry and she is proud of her family history. The Premier hasn’t done a deep dive into her ancestry but is proud of her roots.”

The Alberta premier first made the comments back in 2012, during an Alberta election campaign. According to an edited transcript published by the Calgary Sun, Smith said her great-grandmother, Mary Crowe, was a member of the Cherokee Nation and had been relocated in the 1830s to Oklahoma.

Article content

“Eventually, her descendants found their way to Alberta,” Smith said.

On her paternal side, her great-grandfather came from Ukraine “around the time of the Great war.”

“So as a person of mixed-race ancestry, I take it personally when accusations of racism and bigotry are aimed at me and my party,” Smith said.

More recently, Smith noted her “Indigenous ancestry” in a tweet during the race to become leader of Alberta’s United Conservatives, following the resignation of Jason Kenney in May 2022.

During the race, a video surfaced of former Alberta justice minister Jonathan Denis appearing to mock Indigenous people. While Smith maintained that Denis had no role with her campaign, Craig Chandler, who also appears in the video, was operating a phone bank for Smith, but was terminated.

Smith explained this decision in a Twitter thread.

“As someone with Indigenous ancestry, I honour the heritage of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples as one of our nation’s and province’s greatest treasures and strengths,” Smith said.

Article content

Yet, APTN said it could uncover no evidence that Smith actually had Indigenous ancestry.

The media outlet accessed U.S. census records to show “Mary Frances Crowe” was born in Georgia in 1870, 20 years after the Cherokee were relocated. In the 1910 census, Crowe is listed as “white.”

Work done by Kathy Griffin, a Cherokee genealogist in Texas, concluded there was no evidence that any of Smith’s ancestors were Cherokee or Creek Indian, APTN reported, as Smith’s ancestors do not appear on the Dawes Roll, which catalogues members of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole.