Is Johnny Depp part Cherokee? Or is it Creek? Maybe Chickasaw? He and Disney keep it ambiguous

Part of Johnny Depp's appeal in his role as Tonto in "The Lone Ranger," which premieres today nationwide, is his claim to some Native American heritage. But his ambiguty about just which tribes are in his pedigree, and the Walt Disney Co.'s lack of clarification, are drawing fire from the Native community, reports Indian Country Today. (Disney photo)

"Depp’s claims of Cherokee heritage (put forth in 2002 on "Inside the Actors' Studio", although in 2011 speaking to Entertainment Weekly he added 'or maybe Creek'), along with his streaked black-and-white painted face and a stuffed crow perched atop his head, have caused many to cry foul," Angela Aleiss reports. On a more recent program, Depp added Chickasaw to the list of possibilities. All are plausible; he is from Owensboro, Ky., on the lower Ohio River. In the film, he plays a Comanche.

"Native American leaders and educators are not buying it," Aleiss writes, quoting Hanay Geiogamah, a professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, who was was a consultant for Disney’s "Pocahontas" and a producer for TBS’ "The Native Americans: Behind the Legends, Beyond the Myths." Geiogamah, a Kiowa and Delaware, told her, "Disney relies upon the ignorance of the public to allow that ambiguity to exist. If Depp had any legitimate blood of any tribe, Disney would definitely have all the substantial proof of that already.  It’s not that hard to establish tribal connections."

Cherokee Nation policy analyst Richard Allen told Aleiss that many celebrities claim Cherokee heritage, often based on family stories, but don't try to verify it.  “They all tell me they have high cheekbones,” Allen said. Other Native Americans said Disney missed an opportunity to cast a true Indian in the role, and has no officer repsonsible for policy toward Native Americans. The company told Aleiss that its senior vice president for multicultural initiatives provided liaison with Native Americans for the movie. (Read more)

Mary Annette Pember writes in the Daily Yonder that Depp, speaking to the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque last April, "seems to have tapped into his inner Tonto at a level I would not have dreamed possible. Watching him is more embarrassing than witnessing one of those Unitarian Universalist services in which non-Indians try to sing and play hand drums." Pember also wrote, "I think the real reason that Disney chose Depp is that they couldn’t find any real Indians who could do the Tonto voice while keeping a straight face." (Read more)