Changes

== Various Legends==

== Various Legends==

Ortiz portrays himself as the son of a Native American family and claims his father, whose name he renders as Joseph Ortiz Cordona, was a Nedhni Apache, while his mother, Florinda Blair, was a Navaho; at times his mother gets described as a Navaho-Cherokee or a Cherokee. Occasionally, Ortiz claims his mother's family was related to Sequoyah who invented the Cherokee alphabet, whom he misspells as Sequoia<ref name="biosstars">http://www.biosstars.us/casting/6/s/silverbird.htm accessed 23/06/2013</ref> which is the spelling for the Redwood tree<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia accessed 23/06/2013</ref>. On the other hand, there are press articles dating back to the 1970s in which the „Silverbirds“ are said to be Navaho.<ref name="newspapers" />

Ortiz portrays himself as the son of a Native American family and claims his father, whose name he renders as Joseph Ortiz Cordona, was a Nedhni Apache, while his mother, Florinda Blair, was a Navaho; at times his mother gets described as a Navaho-Cherokee or a Cherokee. Occasionally, Ortiz claims his mother's family was related to Sequoyah who invented the Cherokee alphabet, whom he misspells as Sequoia<ref name="biosstars">http://www.biosstars.us/casting/6/s/silverbird.htm accessed 23/06/2013</ref> which is the spelling for the Redwood tree.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia accessed 23/06/2013</ref> On the other hand, there are press articles dating back to the 1970s in which the „Silverbirds“ are said to be Navaho.<ref name="newspapers" />

According to press articles promoting the „Silverbirds“, the family had been living in Dumont, New York, for several years already. Six of the family members are said to have „Navajo and Spanish blood“, while one was of Cherokee descent. Ortiz' first name gets rendered as „Ruben“.<ref name="newspapers" />

According to press articles promoting the „Silverbirds“, the family had been living in Dumont, New York, for several years already. Six of the family members are said to have „Navajo and Spanish blood“, while one was of Cherokee descent. Ortiz' first name gets rendered as „Ruben“.<ref name="newspapers" />

Ortiz' employment with the „Indian Village Europe“ seems to have gone back to his legends about an indigenous status taken seriously by a US employee of the park responsible for hiring Native personnel for the exhibition. However, Ortiz' job was not a coordinator, but a consultant.<ref name="semtribe" /> Given the ambitious aims this park had regarding a presentation of the diversity of indigenous cultures to a European audience<ref name="semtribe" />, hiring a person for a consultant who is not Native and has no further insight into the issues will have thwarted the project considerably and contributed to cementing stereotypes with the audience rather than providing factual information.   

Ortiz' employment with the „Indian Village Europe“ seems to have gone back to his legends about an indigenous status taken seriously by a US employee of the park responsible for hiring Native personnel for the exhibition. However, Ortiz' job was not a coordinator, but a consultant.<ref name="semtribe" /> Given the ambitious aims this park had regarding a presentation of the diversity of indigenous cultures to a European audience<ref name="semtribe" />, hiring a person for a consultant who is not Native and has no further insight into the issues will have thwarted the project considerably and contributed to cementing stereotypes with the audience rather than providing factual information.   

Further claims are being provided by Amazon in the „About the Artist“ section for a CD dating back to 1992, in which Ortiz is described as a „distinguished spokesman for Native Americans“ and a „board member of the American Indian College Fund“<ref name="amazonWorld">http://www.amazon.com/World-Our-Eyes-American-Creation/dp/B0000007ZQ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>.The AICF site does not list any person named „Silverbird“ or „Ortiz“ as a present or emeritus member of their board<ref>http://www.collegefund.org/content/board_of_trustees accessed 24/06/2013</ref> - however, a press article reveals how Ortiz learned about this fund and which contacts he did in fact have to its board: the fund happened to be announced in the Silverbird Restaurant in New York, as was covered by newspaper „Indian Time“<ref>http://news.nnyln.net/indian-time/1987/indian-time-1987-october-december%20-%200066.pdf accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, which was published in Akewsasne Mohawk Indian Territory.<ref>http://news.nnyln.net/indian-time/search.html accessed 24/06/2013</ref>  

Further claims are being provided by Amazon in the „About the Artist“ section for a CD dating back to 1992, in which Ortiz is described as a „distinguished spokesman for Native Americans“ and a „board member of the American Indian College Fund“.<ref name="amazonWorld">http://www.amazon.com/World-Our-Eyes-American-Creation/dp/B0000007ZQ accessed 24/06/2013</ref> The AICF site does not list any person named „Silverbird“ or „Ortiz“ as a present or emeritus member of their board<ref>http://www.collegefund.org/content/board_of_trustees accessed 24/06/2013</ref> - however, a press article reveals how Ortiz learned about this fund and which contacts he did in fact have to its board: the fund happened to be announced in the Silverbird Restaurant in New York, as was covered by newspaper „Indian Time“<ref>http://news.nnyln.net/indian-time/1987/indian-time-1987-october-december%20-%200066.pdf accessed 24/06/2013</ref>, which was published in Akewsasne Mohawk Indian Territory.<ref>http://news.nnyln.net/indian-time/search.html accessed 24/06/2013</ref>  

A further claim published at various websites is that of Ortiz being the president of an „Annual American Indian Nations Powwow“<ref name="amazonWorld" />, however, this organisation is unknown to anybody else but Ortiz and the only Google results are connected to his alias Reuben Silverbird. Ortiz also presents himself as a board member of the American Indian Museum in New York in promotional texts. The official name of this institution is „National Museum of the American Indian“, and again there is no „Silverbird“ or „Ortiz“ on its list of present or emeritus directors.<ref>http://nmai.si.edu/about/governance/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>.

A further claim published at various websites is that of Ortiz being the president of an „Annual American Indian Nations Powwow“<ref name="amazonWorld" />, however, this organisation is unknown to anybody else but Ortiz and the only Google results are connected to his alias Reuben Silverbird. Ortiz also presents himself as a board member of the American Indian Museum in New York in promotional texts. The official name of this institution is „National Museum of the American Indian“, and again there is no „Silverbird“ or „Ortiz“ on its list of present or emeritus directors.<ref>http://nmai.si.edu/about/governance/ accessed 24/06/2013</ref>.