Met Museum's 'Apache' curator is accused of lying about Native American roots

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's first Native American curator has had her credentials challenged by indigenous campaigners, according to a report. 

Patricia Marroquin Norby, 53, won praise in 2020 after being hired by the famed museum, with The Met saying she was chosen after a 'long and competitive search.' 

She described herself as being proudly 'Apache' and the appointment was lauded by the museum. 

But Native American groups tell The New York Post her roots are made-up. 

'She is definitely not Native American,' one furious critic said. 

Patricia Marroquin Norby, 53, won praise in 2020 after being hired by the famed museum, with The Met saying she was chosen after a 'long and competitive search'

The Met has weighed in on the row, insisting that she is telling the truth because she is a descendent of the 'Pureapacha peoples'. 

But the tribe, rooted in Mexico and parts of Texas, is not among the 574 officially recognized as being Native American.  

Norby took to social media this week to slam the allegations against her, claiming she is being targeted by a group of Native American women trying to 'cancel' her. 

She denied the questioning of her roots, and said she is proud of her 'Purepacha and Nde family roots from Mexico, northern Mexico and Texas.' 

'I am not going to hide my identity or family history in shame,' she added. 

She has claimed in numerous interviews and promotional work for The Met that she is of Purepacha descent, which is not officially recognized by the US Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs division. 

A spokesperson for The Met also insisted that 'Patricia Marroquin Norby is of Purepacha descent and also descends from Indigenous communities in what is now Texas' - but campaigners say that she does not have a legitimate claim to be a Native American. 

Kathy Griffin, a member of the Cherokee Nation who compiled a genealogy of Marroquin Norby’s family, told The Post: 'With all of the Native American scholars out there, we really wonder why the museum chose Patricia, who is definitely not Native American.' 

Norby insists she is Native American and is being unfairly targeted by women 'trying to cancel her' 

Griffin alleged that in her analysis of her genealogy, there was no evidence that any of her direct ancestors were enrolled members of an officially designated tribe. 

'It’s genocide again of Native Americans,' she said. 'Now (white people's) descendants are colonizing us again by claiming to be us.' 

A member of the Purepacha tribe added to the outlet that The Met curator 'wants to be the only Indian in the room, and that doesn't serve the community.' 

'It’s the first time that someone claiming to be part of our community has behaved this way,' they said.  

Jacqueline Keeler, a Native American activist and writer, also branded her a 'predendian' - a person who falsely claims to have indigenous roots. 

'With pretendians, we’ve noticed a lot of red flags,' she said. 'One of those is shifting of Native identities.

'You can see that with [Marroquin] Norby and her shifting claims.' 

Norby was hired with great fanfare in 2020 to oversee the Met's Native American art