NAFPS Forum

This seems to be a professional token being promoted by right wing sites. Trying to track down her legal name and alleged actual tribe, which she's keeping hidden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZfuiJHGqIA
Turning Point USA, her sponsor, has a long history of racism but they're best known for trying to silence and intimidate left of center professors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Point_USA

http://picdeer.com/mikaela_bearpaw
https://www.pinterest.com/mikaelamomentz/

Here goes by Martinez
http://keeperofstories.blogspot.com/2012/10/artistry-of-mikaela-martinez.html

Mikaela Lyrea "A photographer and stylist based out of West Hollywood."

https://www.rawartists.org/mikaelalyrea

The owner of Mikaela Lyrea Photography is Mikaela Verstraete. Married to Willem Verstraete. Her maiden name is Martinez.

Gleaned from her Mikaela Verstraete Facebook page:

Education

    Le Cordon Bleu London
    Class of 2014 · Patisserie Chef · London, United Kingdom
    Baylor University
    Class of 2011 · Arabic · Film and Digital Media · Waco, Texas
    LSU
    Jul 2007 to Dec 2008 · Arabic · International relations · Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Religious views

Christians

Wedding photo from here https://www.theknot.com/us/mikaela-martinez-and-willem-verstraete-jul-2018 - link may eventually disappear

Her stylist and photography page https://www.modelmayhem.com/MikaelaLyreaPhotography

The genres she works in include: acting, cosplay, fetish, performance art.

In this she says she was born in Bishop California, "and a member of a Southern California Native American tribe": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZfuiJHGqIA&feature=youtu.be

I found her in public records. Birth name Mikaela Lyrea Martinez, born 1989, Inyo, California. Mother's maiden name Chacon.

Past attempt to be a  "Native American singer/songwriter/pianist" https://ourstage.com/epk/lyrea

Southern gospel music with her sisters https://ourstage.com/tracks/DESFMLFNTJRX-to-be-like-you

Tennis profile https://www.tennisexplorer.com/player/martinez-477a7/?annual=all

Willem Verstraete refers to his wife on social media as "my sweet native american prinsess" and "trophy wife".

They look to be wealthy. New Year's Eve in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. A lot of world travel.

Her parents are the evangelists Marty and Debbie Martinez of World Harvest Ministries http://www.worldharvestministries.net/about-whm/the-leadership/

QuoteEnjoy the beautiful trio of voices from Mikaela, Mary Beth, and Moriah Martinez, the daughters of Evangelist Marty Martinez

CD https://prophecyinthenews.com/bookstore/my-treasure/

She has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MikaelaPhotography/

The About section there points to her web page (which I presently cannot access for technical reasons):

QuoteCONTACT DETAILS
mikaelalyreaphotography@gmail.com
http://mikaelalyrea.com

MORE INFO
About
Photographer and Stylist based out of Hollywood, CA.
Winner of "Photographer of the Year" 2012.
Please visit her website to book http://mikaelalyrea.com/

Awards — Photographer Of The Year 2012 Hollywood
Gender — Female
categories — Artist · Photographer

Mikaela Lyrea Martinez (now  Mikaela Verstraete) parents are Marty Martinez and Deborah K (Chacon) Martinez. Her maternal grandfather is Roy Glenn Chacon.

Her parents and maternal grandfather have all worked extensively with Jimmy Swaggart ministries. She and her family all are substantial contributors to various Republican political campaigns.

I've spent some time looking over Mikaela and her extended family. She seems to be the only one claiming Native American ancestry. Everyone who has a racial designation in public records is listed as either Hispanic American or W(white).

QuoteMikaela Lyrea (@mikaela_bearpaw) • Instagram photos and videos
https://www.instagram.com/mikaela_bearpaw/
2082 Followers, 532 Following, 23 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Mikaela Lyrea (@mikaela_bearpaw) ... Bear Paw Tribal Citizen

So in the past she claimed that she was a "Bear Paw Tribal Citizen".

She's changed her Instagram bio several times since.

Now that I look this over more, I can't tell if she called herself "Bear Paw Tribal Citizen" or "Bear Paw" "Tribal Citizen".

In the past she used the Twitter handle @PocahontasnLA . That account is closed but remnants of conversations she had with it remain available through a search.

Her fake NDN name is one more sign she's either a very poor imitator, or has no idea about her supposed heritage. No tribe or rez has Bear Paw in their name. Bear paw as a symbol or name is most common in northern plains tribes.

There's no sign Vertstraete ever lived on a rez or is part of any tribal nation, esp any California tribe. Lives the high life in Hollywood. Says she was born in Waco TX.

Verstraete's video seems to be backfiring. Comments on Youtube mostly negative. She's apparently deleted some, so I'll repost the rest before they're gone too.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZfuiJHGqIA
Red VonMunster
6 hours ago
I'll LITERALLY pay for you to take a high school government and economics class because what you've described is the result of racism and capitalism. Are you a plant for the right??

Natasha Movesian
5 hours ago (edited)
FRAUD! She's not native, her real name is Mikaela Verstraete/Martinez. Her parents are Marty Martinez and Debbie Chacon, they're Lead Evangelist and associate Pastors at World Harvest Ministries. The jewelry she's wearing is not even authentic, it's from a Nevada based jewelry company called Michael and Sons. "cannot name tribe for privacy" in her IG bio lmaoo she clearly doesn't understand anything about tribal citizenship. Also Nataanii Means, the Son of Russel Means; who she is quoting in this video has called her out and said she was spreading far right propaganda.?

wahya Carnes
1 day ago
First of all, learn what socialism is. Secondly, the reservation system is not an example of socialism, thirdly, you mention capitalistic practices by the examples you gave when you mentioned the tribes in OR. Your message rings hollow and smells of right wing tactics. Your message mentions little in the way of how Native peoples will begin to become independent. Please.?

Crystal M
1 day ago
Pretendian with a non-Native agenda. NEXT!?

Terry Bradley
1 day ago
she's not even native. She's Mexican. She's a pretindian. Native twitter did some digging. Proved her to be a fraud.?

barnes92196
2 days ago
Fake Native backed by the right wing media.?

ericbird61
1 day ago
Why Delete Others Comments Mikaela?! You Even Blocked Me.. I Simply Asked Why Delete Stuff.. I Dont Think Asking That Wards A Block...?

Adilene Ochoa
21 hours ago
You are a fraud.?


F. Cabral
1 day ago
This is misleading information as an Apache (Native American); I disagree with her statement. Plus, she is using Nataanii father words without permission to promote a political agenda. Disappointed! And Disrespectful!?

The State of Texas vs MIKAELA LYREA MARTINEZ
Case No. 32010.2808

Case Type:   Traffic
Date Filed:   10/25/2010

Female White


http://public.co.comal.tx.us/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=544014

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Make sure to be signed in when you look over this and other threads, that way you can see all attachments.

"Twitter blasts Benny Johnson over heinous Native American 'socialist' reservations take"

https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/benny-johnson-socialist-indian-reservations/?tw=dd

One of the tweets mentioned includes a nice link to NAFPS https://twitter.com/heather28df/status/1107375300487217152

In a recent video Mikaela says that "Bear Paw" is a nickname from her family.

Mikaela Lyrea Martinez Verstraete equates research and discussion of her public claims as bullying and witch hunts.