Image from Twitter account @MikaelaPaw
On March 16th, a tweet from the account Turning Point USA made a bold claim that ‘if you want to see an example of failed socialism, visit an Indian reservation’. It included a video tagging the account @/MikaelaPaw. It also included a truncated video of Russel Means, a well known figure, saying those quoted words. The thing is, it wasn’t his thoughts being expressed but a snippet of a larger quote that Mikeala Bear Paw and/or TPUSA intentionally twisted to fit the narrative they’re trying to Flavor-ade us with.
In the 4 minute video, Mikaela identifies herself as a member of a Southern California tribe but has refused to name which one. One excuse is that her tribe must remain politically neutral. Another is that it’s under an agreement with her tribal council. Something that can’t be corroborated because there’s no tribe to ask. One of the originating tweets:
Dear Socialists,
Do you want socialism in America?
Guess what?
We already have it.
Just travel to an Indian Reservation.
You will see the realities of complete & total government dependence. @MikaelaPaw EXPLAINS: pic.twitter.com/OP4YjmqPOZ
— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) March 15, 2019
A look at the replies will give a good indication of what Natives and non-Natives had to say about this. It’s a good example as to the level of ignorance -including the pretendian Mikaela- have about Native Americans in the past and present.
Welfare is certainly a socialist program of dependency n goverment control with no impact of the problem it was intended to help! In fact it has made generational poverty more possible!!
— William Harvin (@wharvin) March 15, 2019
Monies from the United States government to Native nations are part of treaty agreements, not welfare or handouts. Mind you, the United States government broke every treaty they made between them and our nations, too. Indian reservations are not failed examples of socialism. They were concentration camps that we were left on post-genocide. To suggest that they’re failed experiments of socialism is to say that we chose these conditions. A very tone deaf and revisitionist view of history.
I don't agree with this. They have ALL of the same rights, and then some, that we all have in this country. They are NOT locked into a reservation. And they do NOTHING with the land they do have. So they sit and wait for their govt. check. That's the reality. I grew up near them.
— Cathy C Covfefe´❌ (@CathyCMAGA) March 16, 2019
If you live near a reservation, here’s one of our many like-minded racist neighbors who are proud of their racism. Somehow this one thinks that we have more rights, yet our poverty and existence still puts us beneath them? “And then some”? Examples, please.
There were some good ones in here too though.
You’re delusional. Native Americans have been mistreated by our government for centuries. They are dysfunctional because of our democracy not socialism you idiot
— Fred Harvey (@fred_harve) March 15, 2019
MikaelaPaw / Mikaela Bear Paw / Mikaela Lyrea suddenly appeared on all social media in January.
My aunt is sharing this shit on Facebook as if it's revolutionary and not some weird propagandist sock puppet.
Does anyone have any idea who this person is? https://t.co/MvFC7QUXgX
— Filthy Hippie (@droctopu5) March 15, 2019
The Indian Reservation system is a consequence of the development of American capitalism. That is so obvious I can hardly believe it needs saying. Try to think historically about these things.
— Ben Brunker (@BenedictBrunker) March 15, 2019
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that after being called out as fake Natives, Pretendians seem to enjoy calling out Elizabeth Warren out as fake. It boggles the mind. Perhaps it’s a misdirected attempt at solidarity, but it’s hilarious to see. #KayaJoke does it too.
Her 1% Native American blood can only handle receiving funding (*cough* college *cough*) not correcting any of our issues.
— MikaelaBearPaw (@MikaelaPaw) March 16, 2019
Who exactly is Mikaela Bear Paw? It didn’t take long for #NativeTwitter to pull up numerous avenues of her past and out her as a pretendian fraud like so many others that we come across. Here’s some info on Mikaela through websites and social media.
And says “native for natives”.#NativeTwitter ain’t gonna let this just slide by. We’ve played this game too many damn times.
Like I even have to point out the obvious at this point. This chic might as well be wearing a turkey feather headdress off etsy saying these things. 😂— Jennifer (@NotoriousYeil) March 16, 2019
Welp she’s easy to find & yes a fake. https://t.co/Zp4ncBGyKS
— heatherfeather (@heather28df) March 17, 2019
I'm sure it was the tweets where I outed @MikaelaPaw's video for a lie
After a shot of an entrance sign to Pine Ridge reservation they follow with the shot on the right. As you can see by the photo on the left that is in fact Scenic, SD which is not reservation. pic.twitter.com/4HAbBsG6bb
— Noodlz (@Noodlz09) March 17, 2019
None of us speak for our nations when we express our opinions. Refusing to name a nation(s) is what pretendians do to avoid being outed as a fake. Because a tribe will confirm or deny your enrollment and that doesn’t constitute endorsement of your opinions. https://t.co/0U0mpFhZFZ
— Ali Watson (@aliwatson117) March 17, 2019
For a while, the Mikaela account went private as more info about her background surfaced.
@MikaelaPaw couldn’t handle #NativeTwitter calling her out as a #pretendian. pic.twitter.com/Vy92otSHpq
— SoutheastNative (@SoutheastNative) March 17, 2019
Before the Turning Point vid she claimed "Bear Paw Tribal Citizen" on her Instagram. pic.twitter.com/DcpSIQ4DKc
— Noodlz (@Noodlz09) March 17, 2019
Bear Paw tribal citizen. Have fun with that one.
A very excellent thread with more images in it. Open to view the rest:
I smell a rat #MikaelaBearpaw pic.twitter.com/b6z0Y73Lwl
— Jennifer (@NotoriousYeil) March 17, 2019
On March 18th, Mikaela was back public on Twitter! With a new and amusing message.
If I’m fraudulently claiming Native blood and enrollment in a tribe, sue me. I love to win #NativeTwitter 😉 Careful, abandoning due process can leave you and your beliefs on even shakier ground than when you began your witch hunt. pic.twitter.com/wrK7ay5kYn
— MikaelaBearPaw (@MikaelaPaw) March 18, 2019
If any legal matter of identity needed to be established regarding enrollment, that would be… tribal court. Yet she won’t name a tribe, so weird argument there.
By now, much of #NativeTwitter had spread information about her being a pretendian and shared information.
@MikaelaPaw Martinez , now married to Willem Verstraete, with her mother Deborah K (Chacon) Martinez. Her mother is also an evangelist minister.
Many of us now have looked over records and videos of Mikaela's extended family. There is no mention of tribal citizenship. pic.twitter.com/vq7VaT8GJx— IntelTree (@cedarsentinel) March 19, 2019
This is her tribe – the #wannabe #Pretendian tribe. #NativeTwitter pic.twitter.com/doNmSzDOXN
— SoutheastNative (@SoutheastNative) March 19, 2019
The State of Texas vs MIKAELA LYREA MARTINEZ
Case No. 32010.2808
Case Type:TrafficDate Filed:10/25/2010
Female WhiteSearch through https://t.co/ZviPeUj8wf #MikaelaBearPaw
— IntelTree (@cedarsentinel) March 19, 2019
#NativeTwitter always finds out.
Finally, a thread with information and links about Mikkkaela Br’erPaws. Currently, her Twitter and Instagram are still active though her traffic has seemed to dramatically decreased after being outed.
Thread on #MikaelaBearPaw who goes by the name #MikaelaLyrea #MikaelaMartinez #MikaelaVerstraete
Video collaboration with #TurningPointUSA #BennyJohnson #CharlieKirk https://t.co/3ATSDNOsW2— cyberobserver (@OSINTResearcher) March 19, 2019
For our Navajo and Hopi fam, please be aware that this fraud is coming for you. Look into her background and true intentions because everything she’s said so far has been revisionist or outright false.
Thankyou! I’m flying to Arizona next week to film on the Navajo/Hopi reservations and shine light on one organization trying to empower the native. Something we can all get behind. 🙌🏽 Follow my Instagram for updates @mikaela_bearpaw
— MikaelaBearPaw (@MikaelaPaw) March 16, 2019
Finally, for someone who wants you to believe she’s a champion for Native Americans, she’s shown herself to be a conspiracy theorist too.
— MikaelaBearPaw (@MikaelaPaw) March 16, 2019
Unrelated, but damned interesting.
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Regarding the quote from Russell Means, which is drawn from a magnificent speech that he held in 1989, he paraphrase James G. Watt, former Secretary of the Department of the Interior, to support his argument, he is totally in agreement with what this quote says, it was an inherent part of his thought that denounces the governmental interventionism of socialist essence in the affairs of the Indians and tend to the Make it economically dependent.
And this interventionism is one of the worst policies that has been conducted in the United States. it is vigorously denounced by many native Americans.
Whoever that woman is, she says the truth, concerning this problem.
And she is not the only one to do it, and it has been a long time since it was denounced.
Nicolas Carras – Creator, artist, poet.