A "Pretendian" is a term often used by Indians to describe someone who falsely claims Indigenous ancestry or cultural identity without any legitimate basis. This term is often applied to individuals who disrespectfully appropriate/change Indigenous cultures or traditions for personal gain (in an effort to seem more exotic or interesting than they really are.)
Similar to a “pretendian”, Black
Americans have a play on the term "Foundational Black Americans" (FBAs) — "Fossilized Black Americans."
Just like “Pretendians”, Fossilized Black Americans cling to any minuscule amount of African DNA remnant from their ancestors, to try to legitimately claim that they are part of the
black identity in the present (Even if authentic,
dark-skinned Black Americans
don’t see them as
black; Even when they
don’t look
black; Even when they’re extremely distanced from blackness and black culture)
They are fossils of the former identity that their ancestors embodied.