Author Topic: Nibiiwakamigkwe AKA Kay LeClaire AKA Kathryn Le Claire in Madison, Wisconsin  (Read 236185 times)

Offline Advanced Smite

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I came across “nibiiwakamigkwe” when information on one of their performances showed up in my social media newsfeed. They were only identified by a single Anishinaabe name which piqued my interest about whether we could have friends or family in common. Their bio contained language often associated with people that may be misrepresenting their race or ethnicity.


nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Katie Le Claire / Kathryn Le Claire identifies as a “Two-Spirit Métis, Onyota’a:ka (Oneida), Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Cuban and waabishkiiwed artist.” They “co-own and operate giige, an Indigenous and Queer art and tattoo space” in Madison, Wisconsin and are the “first Community Leader-in-Residence with the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology which is a grant-funded position through the Equity & Justice Network.


nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Katie Le Claire / Kathryn Le Claire has been given a platform to share their perceived knowledge on these topics in Madison, Wisconsin, and the surrounding areas (not intended to be a complete list):
•   Indigenous Art
•   Indigenous Craftwork
•   Indigenous Feminism
•   Indigenous Culture & Identity
•   Indigenous Tattooing
•   Jingle Dancing
•   Throat Singing
•   Food Sovereignty
•   Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women
•   Oneida, Anishinaabe, and Metis Culture


Questionable Claims:
•   Cuban: Claimed to be Cuban in bios, interviews, and elsewhere through August 31, 2020. In bios and interviews that have occurred since September 2020 to the present day it appears they are no longer actively claiming to be Cuban.
•   Oneida: Claims to “…sit in the bear clan of the Oneida Nation of New York.” They said they provided “two laceworks made by my grandmother, Kateri Johnson and her mother Theresia Hill—both Bear Clan Oneida women” to the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection at the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery at UW-Madison. Stated in a presentation that “several Haudenosaunee groups have moved further west or north, including the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin who came here with the 1838 treaty. My family was not one of those to come over and so they remained in New York until about the Great Depression when they came to Wisconsin to try to farm.”
•   Anishinaabe: Claims to be “Martin Clan from the Leech Lake Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.” There is one example of them saying “I’m Martin Clan, a descendant of the Leech Lake Band of the Minnesota Ojibwe.”
•   Metis: Claims to be “Métis from the Red River Settlement in Manitoba." There is one example of them saying “I am a Metis descendant from the Red River Settlement in Manitoba, Canada.”
•   Northern Wisconsin: Claims to have been “born and raised in northern Wisconsin.”


In my opinion, based on publicly available information:
•   Kathryn Elizabeth Le Claire was born and raised in southern Wisconsin by their parents, Brian and Carol (Johnson) Le Claire. They graduated from Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wisconsin.
        o           Maternal Ancestry: German and Swedish
        o           Paternal Ancestry: German, Swedish, and French Canadian
•   Physical appearance has drastically changed from 2012 to 2022 – hair and eyebrows changed from dark blonde/light brown to black, skin tone appears darker


Over the next few days, I will:
•   Share nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Katie Le Claire / Kathryn Le Claire’s genealogy with supporting documentation. Another NAFPS contributor assisted with development of nibiiwakamigkwe’s family tree which was greatly appreciated.
•   Breakdown how publicly available information refutes nibiiwakamigkwe’s claims of Cuban, Oneida, Anishinaabe, and Metis descent.
•   Provide a timeline of interviews, presentations, and performances with significant excerpts and/or transcribed text along with links to source material or attachments.


I hope anyone with firsthand experience or additional information will contribute to this thread.


SOURCES
Many of the sources below were utilized in this post. Others have been included as background information. I will post what I’ve been able to find in greater detail over the next few days. Everything has been saved offline in the event of broken links.

Community Leader-in-Residence
https://cdmc.wisc.edu/equity-justice-initiatives/

Center for Design and Material Culture Conversation Series: nibiiwakamigkwe https://mediaspace.wisc.edu/media/CDMC+Conversation+SeriesA+nibiiwakamigkwe/1_40nql0q5

Collateral Damage Project – Nibiiwakamigkwe Artist Gallery
https://www.collateraldamageproject.com/Artists-Galleries/Nibiiwakamigkwe/

Center the Movement, Not You – By nibiiwakamigkwe
https://ourliveswisconsin.com/article/center-the-movement-not-you/

The Great Madison LGBTQ+ Artist Survey of 2020 – “Kay LeClaire/nibiiwakamigkwe”
https://ourliveswisconsin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/OL80.pdf

Nibiiwakamigkwe Wants Madison to Re-Indigenize Pride
https://web.archive.org/web/20221112164145/https://captimes.com/news/local/q-a-nibiiwakamigkwe-wants-madison-to-re-indigenize-pride/article_91cc52d8-1b52-51de-b76e-75bb7780217f.html

nibiiwakamigkwe Artist Profile
https://www.littlebookwi.com/blog/artist-profile-nibiiwakamigkwe

“Katie Le Claire” Senior Picture
https://hhscg.weebly.com/alumni.html

Hamilton High School National Merit Scholar Article
https://www.hamilton.k12.wi.us/news-releases/2011/10/hamilton-students-recognized-in-nmsc-competition-2
« Last Edit: December 28, 2022, 02:20:12 pm by educatedindian »

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2022, 03:58:32 am »
nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire/ Kathryn Le Claire (KL) claims to “sit in the Bear Clan of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York” and, of all three Indigenous nations they claim, has given the most detailed information about their allegedly Oneida ancestors. This post will primarily focus on their maternal grandmother’s genealogy and Oneida claims.

The Oneida Indian Nation of New York has a matrilineal clan system. You can read about how it still shapes the Oneida Indian Nation of New York today on their website: https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/about/oin-leadership/
If KL were indeed Bear Clan, she would have inherited the connection the following way: KL’s Maternal Grandmother > KL’s Mother > KL

Here is a selection of the detailed claims that KL has made about their connection to the Oneida; specifically, the Oneida Indian Nation of New York:

September 8, 2021: Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth Day One Food Panel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5nGcR1eZSU

Transcription begins at 54:14:
Quote
nibiiwakamigkwe: "So, I’ll start with my Haudenosaunee relatives. We are all kind of in the northeast or the eastern woodlands portion of- of this continent. Really moving along what is now called the St. Lawrence River. Um. You know. What is now sometimes referred to as upstate New York or New England. Several Haudenosaunee groups have moved further west or north including the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin who came here with the 1838 treaty. Um. My family was not one of those to come over and so they remained in New York until about the Great Depression when they came to Wisconsin to try to farm a little bit better -um- or with less - fewer land pressures, I should say.”

October 17, 2021: University of Wisconsin Center for Design and Material Culture
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5Twxwrfxe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Quote
“Today on Indigenous Peoples’ day we feature one of the pieces on display in Lace from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.

The history of lace-work among the Haudenosaunee initially started in 1898, when Sybil Carter, an Episcopalian missionary, introduced lace making to the women of Oneida Nation near De Pere, Wisconsin. She developed a piecework system in which the teachers, materials, and patterns were sent to the women on reservations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, and California. The finished pieces were considered a high commodity among New York society women and won many awards internationally.

For many Oneida women, their work through the lace industry became a substantial revenue for their communities. Yet, many were never given proper recognition for the work they created. In many of the lace pieces, you will find no name connected to the work, and very little research is done to correct this. Included in our Lace exhibition is an example of Haudenosaunee lace-work told through the family members of nibiiwakamigkwe, a Métis, Onyota’a:ka, Anishinaabe, Cuban and waabishkiiwed Two-Spirit artist in Madison, WI. This piece represents the ongoing resilience of the Haudenosaunee people and the continuation of their traditional ways of making and looking at the adoption of newer art forms within their communities.

When the missionaries left the Oneida reservation in 1909, Josephine Hill Webster, a member of the Wisconsin Oneida Nation, became the lace-makers leader in the area. After the Sybil Carter Indian Lace Association disbanded in 1926, Webster and many other Oneida women continued making and selling lace locally for many years.

This piece was created by Theresia Hill of Oneida-Bear Clan. Theresia was born in upstate New York and was taught lacemaking at what she described as a Catholic girls finishing school. She made lace for 50 years and was taught bobbin, needle, crochet, and knit lace techniques over her life and passed them along to her daughters - she had ten children. Based on items found in her daughter, Kateri's, sewing containers, they both used cotton or linen thread and sometimes wool.

Offline Advanced Smite

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Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2022, 04:01:47 am »
December 8, 2021: Artist Profile: nibiiwakamigkwe - Written By Rachel Werner
https://www.littlebookwi.com/blog/artist-profile-nibiiwakamigkwe
https://web.archive.org/web/20221112210236/https://www.littlebookwi.com/blog/artist-profile-nibiiwakamigkwe

Quote
4) Fave installation, exhibition, writing or performance by another artist that you've recently encountered?

It is absolutely Lace from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection at the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery (part of the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology). Not only is it gorgeously designed and curated, but I was asked to provide two laceworks made by my grandmother, Kateri Johnson and her mother Theresia Hill—both Bear Clan Oneida women. My grandmother taught me how to bead, quill, sew, tuft, weave and the importance of them. But neither she, nor her mother, would have ever considered themselves artists or expected to see their works in a gallery. This felt so special. I knew the pieces would be safe and respected there since I had viewed Dakota Mace's (Diné) and Kendra Greendeer's (Ho Chunk, Ojibwe) Intersections: Indigenous Textiles of the Americas in the same gallery two years prior. I'm so grateful there are faculty, staff and students at the UW-Madison committed to telling the stories and histories of Indigenous lacemaking and art. Getting these pieces back will be so surreal. Also I hope they can be viewed by others in the future.

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2022, 05:50:43 pm »
May 2022: papercut work from Nibiiwakamigkwe – Collateral Damage Project
https://www.collateraldamageproject.com/Artists-Galleries/Nibiiwakamigkwe/

Quote
I, and all my matrilineal ancestors before me, sit in the…bear clan of the...Oneida Nation, part of the Haudenosaunee//Iroquois Confederacy. Our role has always been that of medicine carriers and protectors of the people. Traditional Haudenosaunee tattooing practices carry medicine both physically and spiritually, and our connections to place, community, and our own identities are held within these lines.

In creating...a resting place, it was important that the piece exist on both sides of pre- and post-contact. Haudenosaunee chest tattoos depict the land the wearer comes from. After the suicide of several of my cousins, this design does not currently have a young male family member to carry it. But, this piece can still be worn as a yoke over the chest; emblematic of contemporary Oneida regalia, but only composed from pre-contact materials. It is a reminder to keep our hearts wrapped in leather for protection, and remember where we come from.

As someone with c-PTSD, descended from Native ancestors with similar trauma, these pieces combined acknowledge permanence and impermanence of mental states across families and culture.

To summarize, KL claims:
- Their Bear Clan Oneida grandmother is Kateri Johnson.
          - Kateri Johnson had lace made by her mother, Theresia Hill, in her sewing box.
          - Kateri Johnson taught KL how to bead, quill, sew, tuft, weave and the importance of them.
- Their Bear Clan Oneida great grandmother is Theresia Hill.
          - Theresia Hill was born in upstate New York.
          - Theresia Hill learned lace making at what “she described as a girls Catholic finishing school” and made lace for 50 years. She
             taught her daughters to make lace.
          - Theresia Hill had 10 children.
- KL's Oneida ancestors lived in New York until “about the Great Depression” when they moved to Wisconsin to farm.
- KL's family has a Haudenosaunee chest tattoo design that does not currently have a young male family member to carry it after the
   suicide of several of KL’s male cousins.

I looked at Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson’s maternal AND paternal family's genealogy. Related to the claims above, this is what I found:

- KL’s maternal grandmother was Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson, NOT Kateri Johnson.
          - Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson’s paternal AND maternal grandparents were all born in Germany and immigrated to the United
             States between the years 1874-1887.

- KL’s great-grandmother and Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson’s mother was Theresa (Hastreiter) Ortlieb, NOT Theresia Hill.
          - Theresa (Hastreiter) Ortlieb was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin in 1904.
          - I can find no record of her living in New York before or during the Great Depression.
- KL’s great-great-grandmother, Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson’s grandmother, and Theresa (Hastreiter) Ortlieb’s mother was Theresia
  (Reitmeier) Hastreiter, NOT Theresia Hill.
          - Theresia (Reitmeier) Hastreiter arrived in Baltimore, Maryland from Germany on April 20, 1887, with her fiancée, Joseph
             Hastreiter.
          - The couple were married 10 days later, on April 30, 1887, in Medford, Wisconsin.
          - I can find no record of her living in New York before or during the Great Depression.

Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson's maternal and paternal grandparents were all born in Germany, were listed as "white" on every census, birth certificate, and death certificate, AND did not live with/near the tribes claimed.

In my opinion, based on publicly available information, Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson could not be the source of nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire/ Kathryn Le Claire’s claims of Oneida, Anishinaabe, Metis, or Cuban ancestry. It directly calls into question her Oneida claims based on the specificity of her statements. To "sit in the Bear Clan of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York" KL would need their mother, maternal grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandma to be Oneida. At this point in time, the documentation indicates they were German. Now I am looking at KL's  genealogy through their paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather for Cuban, Anishinaabe (Leech Lake Band of the Minnesota Chippewa), and Metis ancestry which would prove their claims. Despite KL's  statements tying their Oneida ancestry to their maternal grandmother, I will continue to look for an Oneida connection with their paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather.

The supporting documentation exceeded the character limit for a single post. It will be posted separately.

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2022, 06:17:02 pm »
Mother
Carol Ann Johnson
B: xx/xx/xxxx
Married: Brian John Le Claire

Maternal Grandmother
Kathleen Marie Ortlieb

B: 23 Jul 1933 - Dorchester, Clark, Wisconsin, USA
D: 23 Jan 2013 - Port Orange, Volusia, Florida, USA
Married: Donald Louis Johnson
Obituary: https://www.heritageflagler.com/obituaries/Kathleen-Marie-Johnson/#!/Obituary

Parents of Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson
Rudolph Oscar Ortlieb
B: 17 Sep 1896 - Wisconsin, USA
D: 1 Jun 1988 - Clark County, Wisconsin, USA
Theresa Hastreiter
B: 19 Jun 1904 - Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA
D: 25 May 1977 - Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA

Maternal Grandparents of Kathleen Marie Ortlieb
Joseph Hastreiter (Immigrated in 1887)
B: 16 Feb 1862 Germany
D: 16 Jun 1937 Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA
Theresia Reitmeier (Immigrated in 1887)
B: 28 Oct 1865 Germany
D: 20 Dec 1941 Wood County, Wisconsin, USA

Paternal Grandparents of Kathleen Marie Ortlieb
Gottlob Ortlieb (Immigrated in 1884)
B: 26 Nov 1846 - Germany
D: 21 Jun 1917 - Clark, Wisconsin, USA
Johanne Friederike (Frieda) Wilhelmine Schauland (Immigrated in 1874)
B: 19 Apr 1864 - Fergitz, Uckermark, Brandenburg, Germany
D: 18 Mar 1936 - Dorchester, Clark, Wisconsin, USA

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: KATHLEEN MARIE (ORTLIEB) JOHNSON: 1933-2013

Obituary
Connects Kathryn Le Claire to their parents, Brian Le Claire and Carol (Johnson) Le Claire and Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson
https://www.heritageflagler.com/obituaries/Kathleen-Marie-Johnson/#!/Obituary

Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002
Name        Kathleen Marie Ortlieb
Race        White
Age           21
Birth Date        23 Jul 1933
Marriage Date     10 Jun 1955
Marriage Place     Overland, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Spouse        Donald Louis Johnson

1950 United States Federal Census
Name            Kathleen Ortlieb
Age                    16
Birth Date         1934
Gender         Female
Race            White
Birth Place         Wisconsin
Marital Status         Never Married (Single)
Relation to Head of House   Daughter
Residence Date      1950
Home in 1950         Dorchester, Clark, Wisconsin, USA
Household Members (Name, Age)
Rudolph J Ortlieb   53
Theresa Ortlieb   45

Jerome Ortlieb   21
Donald Ortlieb      20
Kathleen Ortlieb   16
James Ortlieb      15
Jeann Ortlieb      12
John Ortlieb      10
Shirley Ann Ortlieb   Mar

1940 United States Federal Census
Name            Kathleen M Ortlieb
Age            6
Gender         Female
Race            White
Birthplace         Wisconsin
Marital Status         Single
Relation to Head of House   Daughter
Home in 1940         Dorchester, Clark, Wisconsin
Household Members (Name, Age)
Rudolph O Ortlieb   43
Theresa Ortlieb   35

Bernice Pencek   20
Eugene R Ortlieb   14
Jerome A Ortlieb   11
Donald J Ortlieb   10
Kathleen M Ortlieb   6
James H Ortlieb   5
Joan Ortlieb      2

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2022, 11:41:59 pm »
MATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF KATHLEEN MARIE (ORTLIEB) JOHNSON
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: JOSEPH HASTREITER (1862-1937)

1930 United States Federal Census
Name            Joseph Hastreiter
Birth Year         1862
Gender         Male
Race            White
Age in 1930         68
Birthplace         Germany
Marital Status         Married
Relation to Head of House   Head
Home in 1930         Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Immigration Year      1880
Naturalization         Naturalized
Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter   68
Theresa Hastreiter   64

Frank Hastreiter      19

*Joseph Hastreiter entered the United States in 1880, but returned to Germany when his father died two years later. He returned in 1887 with his fiancée. They arrived in Baltimore, Maryland on April 20, 1887 and were married in Medford, Wisconsin 10 days later on April 30, 1887. Source: Joseph Hastreiter's Obituary

1920 United States Federal Census
Name            Joseph Hastreiter
Age            58
Birth Year         1862
Birthplace         Pennsylvania*
Home in 1920         Colby, Marathon, Wisconsin
Residence Date      1920
Race            White
Gender         Male
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter   58
Theresa Hastreiter   54

Theresa Hastreiter   15
John Hastreiter   14
Barbara Hastreiter   11
Francis Hastreiter   9

*Joseph Hastreiter’s birthplace documented as “Pennsylvania” on the 1920 census is inconsistent with other available records. It is not a transcription error, and the actual census does read “Pennsylvania.” I can’t speak to why, but I can’t find any other record that corroborates it. On the contrary, all other records directly refute it with Joseph Hastreiter's birthplace always listed as “Germany.”

1910 United States Federal Census
Name            Joseph J Hastreiter
Age in 1910         48
Birth Date         1862
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1910         Woodside, Otter Tail, Minnesota, USA
Race            White
Gender         Male
Immigration Year      1887
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Married
Spouse's Name      Theresa Hastreiter
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph J Hastreiter   48
Theresa Hastreiter   44

Louis Hastreiter   19
Mary Hastreiter   17
Micheal Hastreiter   16
Tony Hastreiter   10
Theresa Hastreiter   6
John Hastreiter   3
Barbara Hastreiter   1

1900 United States Federal Census
Name            Joseph Hastreiter
Age            38
Birth Date         Feb 1862
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1900         Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin
Race            White
Gender         Male
Immigration Year      1887
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Years in US         13
Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter      38
Theresea Hastreiter      35

Joseph Hastreiter      11
Alvis Hastreiter      10
Mary Hastreiter      6
Mihy Hastreiter      4
Anton Hastreiter      5/12

Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Records, 1820-2004
Name         Josef Hastreiter
Marriage Date      30 Apr 1887
Marriage County   Taylor, Wisconsin, USA
Spouse         Theresia Reitmeier

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964
Name         Josef Hastreiter
Gender      Male
Race         Batavian
Age         25
Birth Date      1862
Port of Departure   Bremen, Germany
Arrival Date      20 Apr 1887
Port of Arrival      Baltimore, Maryland

Ship Name      Koln

Offline cellophane

  • Posts: 59
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2022, 01:37:19 am »
Is the link certain between Kathryn Le Claire (the person in question) and the parents you have the genealogy for (Carol Ann Johnson and Brian John Le Claire)? Is there a chance that Carol and Brian's child Kathryn Le Claire is someone else with the same name?

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2022, 03:01:43 am »
Is the link certain between Kathryn Le Claire (the person in question) and the parents you have the genealogy for (Carol Ann Johnson and Brian John Le Claire)? Is there a chance that Carol and Brian's child Kathryn Le Claire is someone else with the same name?

That's a great question, cellophane. All I had was the name "nibiiwakamigkwe" to start. I was able to connect nibiiwakamigkwe to the name "Kay LeClaire" here: https://ourliveswisconsin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/OL80.pdf

From there, I was able to use the University of Wisconsin Directory to find this information:
Quote
Directory Search Result

Name Kay LeClaire
Also known as: KATHRYN E LE CLAIRE

E-mail
xxxxxxxxxx@wisc.edu

Title
Comm Leadership in Residence

Division
SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY

Department
EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS

Unit
HELEN L ALLEN TEXTILE COLLECTION

Mailing address
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Madison, WI xxxxx

The directory information matches with nibiiwakamigkwe being the Community Leader in Residence with the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology. It appears they removed the space in "Le Claire" and began using "LeClaire" at some point.

I was able to find a social media profile under the name "Kay LeClaire" that had the same pictures of themselves posted as a  "nibiiwakamigkwe" account on another social media platform. The "Kay LeClaire" account had pictures "liked" by a relative listed in the obituaries of Kathleen Marie (Ortlieb) Johnson and Donald Louis Johnson. I have screenshots of this should it disappear.

It is highly coincidental that nibiiwakamigkwe claimed her maternal grandmother, Kateri Johnson, and maternal great-grandmother, Theresia Hill made the lace they placed in an exhibit. Kathryn Le Claire's grandmother is Kathleen (Ortleib) Johnson and their great-grandmother is Theresa (Hastreiter) Ortleib and their great-great-grandmother is Theresia (Reitmeier) Hastreiter.

The biggest connector was a family genealogy site run by a relative of Kathryn Le Claire. The person that runs the website has spent quite a bit of time compiling information. Honestly, it's impressive. It has pictures from KL's wedding which are different poses, but match the people in photos on the other social media accounts connected to Kay LeClaire. The family genealogy website lists Kathryn Le Claire's parents as Brian and Carol. It also lists their husband. It is possible to verify through social media that same husband listed on the genealogy site is married to nibiiwakamigkwe. I was also able to verify that nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire's husband, AP, graduated from Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wisconsin, just like Kathryn Le Claire. I am not going to link the site as it has birthdates for living people. I will provide it to a moderator for verification, if requested.

I hope someone else will look into it independently and confirm the match between nibiiwakamigkwe > Kay LeClaire > Kathryn Le Claire and that Kathryn Le Claire is the daughter of Brian and Carol (Johnson) Le Claire. In my opinion, based on publicly available information, it's a match, and only question it due to the amount of physical change (light hair/eyebrows to dark hair/eyebrows, darker skin tone), but mostly because of what being right means. In my opinion, it would be on the level of Jessica Krug and C.V. Vitolo Haddad who had connections to the University of Wisconsin, as well. Whenever I come across something KL wrote, like this: https://web.archive.org/web/20211206050046/https://ourliveswisconsin.com/article/center-the-movement-not-you/ , I go back through everything, because it just seems too crazy to be true.

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2022, 03:25:42 am »
MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER OF KATHLEEN MARIE (ORTLIEB) JOHNSON
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: THERESIA REITMEIER (1865-1941)

1930 United States Federal Census
Name   Theresa Hastreiter
Birth Year         1866
Gender         Female
Race            White
Age in 1930         64
Birthplace         Germany
Marital Status         Married
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Home in 1930         Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany
Language Spoken      German
Immigration Year      1880*

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter   68
Theresa Hastreiter   64
Frank Hastreiter   19

*Per Joseph Hastreiter’s obituary, he briefly immigrated to Wisconsin in 1880. He returned to Germany after 2 years due to the death of his father. He returned in 1887 with his fiancée which is consistent with all other documentation for Theresia Reitmeier. It is most likely that Joseph Hastreiter’s initial immigration year was provided to the census taker and erroneously applied to Theresia, as well.

1920 United States Federal Census
Name            Theresa Hastreiter
Age            54
Birth Year         1866
Birthplace         Austria*
Home in 1920         Colby, Marathon, Wisconsin
Race            White
Gender         Female
Immigration Year      1887
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Austria*
Mother's Birthplace      Austria*

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter   58
Theresa Hastreiter   54
Theresa Hastreiter   15

John Hastreiter   14
Barbara Hastreiter   11
Francis Hastreiter   9

*Theresia Reitmeier Hastreiter and her parent’s birthplaces all documented as “Austria” on the 1920 census is inconsistent with other available records. It is not a transcription error, and the actual census does read “Austria.” I can’t speak to why, but I can’t find any other record that corroborates it. On the contrary, all other records directly refute it with Theresia Reitmeier Hastreiter and her parent’s birthplaces always listed as “Germany.”

1910 United States Federal Census
Name            Theresa Hastreiter
Age in 1910         44
Birth Date         1866
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1910         Woodside, Otter Tail, Minnesota, USA
Race            White
Gender         Female
Immigration Year      1887
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph J Hastreiter   48
Theresa Hastreiter   44

Louis Hastreiter   19
Mary Hastreiter   17
Michael Hastreiter   16
Tony Hastreiter   10
Theresa Hastreiter   6
John Hastreiter   3
Barbara Hastreiter   1

1900 United States Federal Census
Name            Theresa Hastreiter
Age            35
Birth Date         Oct 1864
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1900         Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin
Race            White
Gender         Female
Immigration Year      1887
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany
Years in US         13

Household Members (Name, Age)
Joseph Hastreiter   38
Theresa Hastreiter   35

Joseph Hastreiter   11
Alvis Hastreiter   10
Mary Hastreiter   6
Mihy Hastreiter   4
Anton Hastreiter   5/12

Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Records, 1820-2004
Name         Theresia Reitmeier
Marriage Date      30 Apr 1887
Marriage County   Wisconsin, USA
Spouse         Josef Hastreiter

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964
Name      Terese Reitmeyer
Gender      Female
Race         Batavian
Age         21
Birth Date      1866
Port of Departure   Bremen, Germany
Arrival Date      20 Apr 1887
Port of Arrival      Baltimore, Maryland

Ship Name      Koln

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2022, 03:46:18 am »
PATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF KATHLEEN MARIE (ORTLIEB) JOHNSON
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: GOTTLIEB ORTLIEB (1846-1917)

1910 United States Federal Census
Name            Gottlieb Ortlieb
Age in 1910         63
Birth Date         1847
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1910         Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin, USA
Race            White
Gender         Male
Immigration Year      1884
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Gottlieb Ortlieb   63
Frederica Ortlieb   45

Bertha Ortlieb      18
Selma Ortlieb      15
Rudolph Ortlieb   13
Albert Ortlieb      11
Amanda Ortlieb   7

1900 United States Federal Census
Name            Gottlob Ortlieb
Age            54
Birth Date         May 1846
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1900         Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin
Race            White
Gender         Male
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Years in US         16
Household Members (Name, Age)
Gottlob Ortlieb   54
Frieda Ortlieb      36

William Ortlieb   14
Emma Ortlieb      12
Herman Ortlieb   11
Ida Ortlieb      9
Bertha Ortlieb      8
Selma Ortlieb      5
Rudolph Ortlieb   3
Albert Ortlieb      1

1895 - Wisconsin, U.S., State Censuses, 1855-1905
Name         Gottlieb Ortlieb
Residence Date   1895
Residence Place   Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin, USA
Relationship      Head

New York Port, Ship Images, 1851-1891
Name         Gottlieb Ortlieb
Arrival Date      5 Apr 1884
Age         37
Gender      Male
Port of Departure   Bremen, Germany
Ship route      Bremen-Southampton-NY
Port of Arrival      New York, United States
Ship Name      Elbe
Ship built      1881
Shipping Line      North German Lloyd
Ship tonnage      4,897 tons; 418' x 44'
Ship description   4 masts, 2 funnels

PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER OF KATHLEEN MARIE (ORTLIEB) JOHNSON
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: JOHANNE FRIEDERIKE (FRIEDA) WILHELMINE SCHAULAND

1920 United States Federal Census
Name            Frieda Ortlieb
Age            55
Birth Year         1865
Birthplace         Wisconsin*
Home in 1920         Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin
Residence Date      1920
Race            White
Gender         Female
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status         Widowed
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Frieda Ortlieb      55
Herman Hingis      30
Rudolph Ortlieb   23
Albert Ortlieb      21
Amanda Ortlieb   17

*While Frieda (Schauland) Ortlieb is listed as being born in Wisconsin on several censuses, there are multiple types of records that indicate she was born in Germany, baptized in Germany, and immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1874. I can’t speak to the cause of the discrepancy but put more weight towards the records indicating she was born in Germany. It doesn’t change the outcome of this analysis for nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire whether Frieda (Schauland) Ortlieb was born in Wisconsin or Germany. It is clear Frieda’s parents were born in Germany.

1910 United States Federal Census
Name            Frederica Ortlieb
Age in 1910         45
Birth Date         1865
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1910         Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin, USA
Race            White
Gender         Female
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status         Married
Spouse's Name      Gottlieb Ortlieb
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Gottlieb Ortlieb   63
Frederica Ortlieb   45

Bertha Ortlieb      18
Selma Ortlieb      15
Rudolph Ortlieb   13
Albert Ortlieb      11
Amanda Ortlieb   7

1900 United States Federal Census
Name            Frieda Ortlieb
Age            36
Birth Date         Apr 1864
Birthplace         Germany
Home in 1900         Mayville, Clark, Wisconsin
Race            White
Gender         Female
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status         Married
Father's Birthplace      Germany
Mother's Birthplace      Germany

Household Members (Name, Age)
Op Ortlieb      54
Frieda Ortlieb      36

William Ortlieb   14
Emma Ortlieb      12
Herman Ortlieb   11
Ida Ortlieb      9
Bertha Ortlieb      8
Selma Ortlieb      5
Rudolph Ortlieb   3
Albert Ortlieb      1

New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
Name            Frieda Schauland

Gender         Female
Ethnicity/ Nationality      German
Age            9
Birth Date         1864
Place of Origin      Germany
Departure Port      Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland
Destination         USA
Arrival Date         3 Nov 1873
Arrival Port         New York, New York, USA
Ship Name         Batavia

Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Select Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874
Name         Johanne Friederike Wilhelmine Schauland
Gender      Female
Religion      Evangelische
Birth Date      19. Apr 1864 (19 Apr 1864)
Baptism Date      8. Mai 1864 (8 May 1864)
Baptism Place      Fergitz, Fergitz, Templin, Brandenburg, Germany
Baptism Age      0
Father         Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Schauland
Mother      Justine Christine Spann

Volume Year Range   1027, 1850-1874
Page         49
FHL Film Number   1334772

Brandenburg, Germany, Transcripts of Church Records, 1700-1874
Name         Johanne Friederike Wilhelmine Schauland
Birth Date      19. Apr 1864 (19 Apr 1864)
Birth Place      Fergitz, Brandenburg, Preußen (Germany)
Event Type      Geburt (Birth)
Father Name      Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Schauland
Mother Name      Justine Christine Spann

Volume Number   1027
Collection Number   5

Offline cellophane

  • Posts: 59
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #10 on: November 29, 2022, 04:11:49 am »
That's quite solid, thanks.

It's really striking for someone to ease into a new identity out of nothing (no vague rumors of Indian ancestry or such), and have it be so elaborate and all-consuming, in such a short time.

Offline cellophane

  • Posts: 59
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #11 on: November 29, 2022, 04:44:49 am »
4Ground Festival Connects People, Land, and Histories
https://www.artsmidwest.org/news/2022/06-13/4ground-festival-connects-people-land-and-histories

Throat-singing with Taiquaa//Ambe Omaa – ayaga//babaami-ayaa (to travel around)
Quote
Nibiiwakamigkwe, meanwhile, is Oneida, a descendent of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Ojibwe, and registered with the Manitoba Métis Federation. Those tribes don’t have throat singing as part of their heritage, but nibiiwakamigkwe began learning the skill about 10 years ago, when they attended their cousin’s wedding and throat singing was a part of the festivities.

Is Kathryn really registered with them? Does the Federation require proof? nipinet, the other person claiming indigenous affiliation in Giige, is, in their bio, "a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation and a direct descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa."

Did she have a cousin who married into an Inuit family?

Offline cellophane

  • Posts: 59
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2022, 05:26:53 am »
(she -> they).

nipinet themselves seem to be the same as Ned Pines, whose background and work history (in particular Thistle Studios) match those of Ned Landsem's LinkedIn profile. The pictures on Giige and LinkedIn could be the same person. Ned Landsem's job history (barista, writing tutor at Marquette) matches info for Rachel Landsem. I also see recent references to nipinet Landsem. Rachel Landsem appears in some high school related news items from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Offline cellophane

  • Posts: 59
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2022, 07:02:35 am »
Rachel Landsem was born in 1994 (graduated high school in 2012). I think their mother is Stephanie Landsem, a writer of Christian fiction. That is based on the following: Stephanie wrote in her website:
https://stephanielandsem.com/review-and-giveaway-clouds-a-memoir/

that she'd met fellow writer Laura Sobiech when Laura was pregnant with her son Zach, and when Stephanie's oldest daughter, Rachel, was one year old. Zach Sobiech (who died tragically at a young age) was born in May of 1995. That would put this Rachel's birth year in 1994 as well. Rachel Landsem graduated from St Croix Catholic Middle School in Minnesota in 2008. Bruce and Stephanie Landsem donated to St. Croix in 2015, as did Bruce's parents, Norman and Juanita Landsem.
Stephanie Landsem was born to William Wetzel and Jeannette Reardon, and appears (with Bruce) in Willianm Wetzel's obituary:
https://www.lemleychapel.com/memorials/william-red-wetzel-2/

From Norman and Juanita's marriage record, Juanita Landsem was born Juanita Mae Jeanotte. She and her parents, Leo and Josephine Jeanotte, are all listed as Indian in the 1940 census. Both parents were born in Belcourt, North Dakota, home of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa.

To sum: nipinet, Kathryn Le Claire's associate, is apparently indeed one-quarter Turtle Mountain Chippewa.

Offline Advanced Smite

  • Posts: 190
Re: nibiiwakamigkwe / Kay LeClaire / Kathryn Le Claire - Madison, Wisconsin
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2022, 01:53:38 pm »
4Ground Festival Connects People, Land, and Histories
https://www.artsmidwest.org/news/2022/06-13/4ground-festival-connects-people-land-and-histories

Throat-singing with Taiquaa//Ambe Omaa – ayaga//babaami-ayaa (to travel around)
Quote
Nibiiwakamigkwe, meanwhile, is Oneida, a descendent of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Ojibwe, and registered with the Manitoba Métis Federation. Those tribes don’t have throat singing as part of their heritage, but nibiiwakamigkwe began learning the skill about 10 years ago, when they attended their cousin’s wedding and throat singing was a part of the festivities.

Is Kathryn really registered with them? Does the Federation require proof? nipinet, the other person claiming indigenous affiliation in Giige, is, in their bio, "a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation and a direct descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa."

Did she have a cousin who married into an Inuit family?

Nipinet is a Turtle Mountain Chippewa descendant. KL has genuinely Indigenous people around her. Sometimes all it takes is one person to give you legitimacy and others follow...then when the red flags pop up it's hard to question the person. Especially when your work is interwined with them.

I hadn't seen that article. KL claiming to be "registered" with the Manitoba Metis Foundation? From what I've found, I don't think that would be possible. Her dad's Le Claire family is French Canadian. There is some difficulty tracing them back further than Chicago in the 1860s. The family member that runs the genealogy website seems to have worked on it fairly extensively. No suggestion of Metis ancestry. I'm going to work on getting the rest of the genealogy posted. Then I have some timelines that are really interesting.