The Denver Rocky Mountain News concludes its investigation into controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, saying there is no evidence that he is Indian.

The paper scoured genealogical records, consulted outsiders, visited web sites and interviewed Churchill's relatives. The paper says the evidence shows that all of Churchill's ancestors are white and in the cases where their heritage is in question, it is not likely they were Indian.

The paper also looked at a 1993 article by Native reporter Jodi Rave Lee in which Churchill laid out a roadmap to his alleged heritage. The paper said that Reubin Tiner, the ancestor he claimed as Cherokee, is indeed listed on a Cherokee roll from North Carolina but that Churchill is not descended from Tiner.

Churchill, however, descends from the white Tyners, the paper said. Joshua Tyner, a distant relative, once took a DNA test to determine whether he was Indian but the test showed he was white. Churchil's half-brother Dan Debo said it is family legend that the Churchills are Cherokee from their mother's side.

On his father's side, Churchill has claimed Creek ancestry but told Rave in the 1993 article that he didn't know anything about his father.

In related news, Churchill has filed a complaint against a professor who accused him of making false claims about the use of smallpox by the U.S. Army.

Get the Story:
The charge: Misrepresentation (The Denver Rocky Mountain News 6/9)
'Connect the dots' a wild goose chase (The Denver Rocky Mountain News 6/9)
Churchill files complaint on accuser (The Denver Post 6/9)

Churchill Investigation:
Shadows of doubt (The Denver Rocky Mountain News June 2005)

Churchill's 9/11 Essay:
"Some People Push Back" On the Justice of Roosting Chickens (Pockets of Resistance September 2001)

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