Author Topic: Korina Emmerich - Project Runway contestant claims false membership in tribe  (Read 21460 times)

Offline Defend the Sacred

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While not a case of selling ceremony, this story relates to false representations of Native culture in the media.

An earlier season of the reality competition show Project Runway featured Native designer Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), who got all the way to the finals of the show. Patricia often incorporated traditional techniques from regalia into her designs. While familiar to NDN country, much of what she did seemed completely new and fresh to a mainstream fashion audience.

This year, they had two designers they billed as Native. One, Kini Zamora (Native Hawaiian) was clearly part of his culture and community. Like with Ms. Michaels, we meet his family, and in one moving scene his auntie sings him an honor song. The other, Korina Emmerich, immediately raised red flags. She didn't seem culturally Native, and she presented Plains/Pan-NDN aesthetics as "traditional" to her claimed (Pacific Northwest) culture. We never met her family. She also stood out because she was one of the meanest, most hostile people ever seen on the show. She particularly bullied the women of color.  Turns out, like we suspected, she is not part of the tribal community she claims, and the tribe does not claim her.

Once the Puyallup tribal members spoke out, she started backpedaling furiously. Now she's claiming she never said she belonged to the tribe (she did, repeatedly) and that she only said she's "part" Native American (nope, she claimed to be "American Indian" (first red flag) or "Native American" in every episode).

At one point Ms Emmmerich showed a picture of a child in a jingle dress, and claimed it was her, and that she had danced "on the pow wow circuit" as a child. While she seemed to know the right things to say about the jingle dress, given her surname, I'm wondering if she's the daughter of German pretendians.

http://www.indianz.com/News/2014/015354.asp
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‘Project Runway’ contestant claims false membership in Puyallup Tribe

By Matt Nagle
matt@puyalluptribalnews.net

A popular reality TV show now airing on the Lifetime Network includes one contestant that identifies as Native American, but she claims to be Puyallup and here is where the problem comes in.

For those who don’t follow this program, “Project Runway” is a fashion-focused contest in which chosen clothing designers from across the country square off (or “sew off” in this case) against each other to make the most impressive creations. Under the eye of three celebrity judges, one by one each of the contestants is eliminated until one remains as the winner. Korina Emmerich was eliminated in episode 11 last week.

Now in its 13th season, “Project Runway” enjoys a wide following and gets its fair share of buzz on the Internet, including news articles about contestant Korina Emmerich being a Puyallup Tribal Member, as she says she is. However, according to the Tribe’s Enrollment Department there is no record of her or her family in the Puyallup tribal enrollment rolls going all the way back to the original 1929 enrollment roster.

Puyallup Tribal Council Member Maggie Edwards was the first to learn of this situation and bring it to the attention of the Puyallup Tribal News.

“In the season opener, Korina self-identified as a Native American of the Puyallup Tribe,” Maggie Edwards said. “I double-checked with Enrollment, when the Native Internet news started carrying the story. She is not on our rolls, therefore not an enrolled member. It would be one thing to call herself a descendent of a Puyallup, if she were even that, but she clearly says she is a Puyallup.”

The Puyallup Tribal News attempted to speak with Korina Emmerich to discuss her lineage and possible Puyallup connections but she did not respond.

Related Stories:
Puyallup fashion designer survives 2nd week on Project Runway (08/01)
Puyallup fashion designer competes for prize in Project Runway (7/28)


Copyright © Indianz.Com
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Epiphany

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Meet Korina Emmerich (I can’t find what Nation she is from, but contacted her to get it! EDITED: She is from the Puyallup Tribe and is sweet to have replied right away!) who is on Season 13 of Project Runway.

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Korina Mae Emmerich was born in the Northwest to American Indian and English parents.

http://chantalrondeau.com/post/92969266842/another-native-contestant-on-project-runway


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Korina Emmerich ?@EmmerichNY

I'm from the Puyallup tribe! Thanks for watching!! @ChantalGRondeau

https://twitter.com/EmmerichNY/status/493361264010477568

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Korina responded on the very post thread (Oct. 19, 2014) at “Indianz.com.” Here is part of her statement, “I would firstly like to stress to you that I never claimed to be a member, and was extremely up front on the show that I am part American Indian. I am not an enrolled member, I have never claimed to be an enrolled member. My family has documentation of ancestry related to the Puyallups.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/project-runway-korina-emmerich-fashion-week-defends-herself-to-native-press


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It would be one thing to call herself a descendent of a Puyallup, if she were even that, but she clearly says she is a Puyallup.

http://www.examiner.com/article/project-runway-korina-emmerich-fashion-week-defends-herself-to-native-press

I think she is trying to play fast and loose with her words. Basically, lying. She was representing herself as a Puyallup tribal member, until she was called on it.

Puyallup membership http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/puyalluptribe/ Article 2 under Constitution and Bylaws:

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Section 1.

The membership of the Puyallup Tribe shall consist of each individual who is not enrolled as a member in any other Indian nation, tribe, band, pueblo, village, corporation or rancheria and who satisfies either of the following requirements:

(a)    Each person whose name appears on the roll of the Puyallup Tribe approved in 1929; and

(b)    Each person at least one of whose parents, at the time of the person’s birth, was an enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe;

(i)    Provided, however, that after the effective date of Amendment Number XIII to this Constitution (amending this Article II), a person who otherwise qualifies under this subsection shall be eligible only if application for enrollment is made within one calendar year after his or her birth; and

(ii)    Provided, further, that in the case of a person actually unaware of his/her Puyallup ancestry by reason of adoption or other circumstances, the time deadline contained in proviso number (i), above, shall be deemed satisfied if that individual makes application for membership within ninety (90) days after becoming aware of his/her Puyallup ancestry.

Membership under this Article shall not be deemed automatic but shall be effective only upon compliance with enrollment procedures then in effect including action by the Tribal Council confirming an individual’s eligibility and enrollment.