Muddied trails of belonging

When Mel Gibson's Apocalypto premiered in last year, the actionllfilled film set against the backdrop of the Maya empire, launched the career of a young Texan named Rudy Youngblood.

In interviews plugging the film, Youngblood, who plays the film's central character, Jaguar Paw, routinely discussed his Indian ancestry.

Sensitive chord

But just as the 25-year-old actor climbs the ladder of stardom, a Comanche conservative pundit is roiling the American Indian community by raising questions about Youngblood's ancestry, sparking a raging debate on various Indian websites.

The issue strikes a sensitive chord in Hollywood as well, where today's film industry can expect to come under fire for casting non-minorities in minority roles.

So far, the questions over Youngblood's ancestry have not been enough to derail plans by First Americans in the Arts, a non-profit group that honours American Indian efforts in entertainment to award him its outstanding new lead actor award.

But David A. Yeagley is not giving up. "He has no Indian blood in him that anyone can validate," Yeagley said.

For his part, Youngblood said he cannot understand why Yeagley has it in for him. Michelle R. Shining Elk, the actor's manager and publicist, calls Yeagley's allegations "off the wall" and, in turn, accuses Yeagley of falsifying his own background.

The controversy comes at a time when Youngblood is being courted by several producers.

The actor has received "numerous" scripts and is in negotiations on a project which Shining Elk would not identify except to say it would be more physically demanding than his role in Apocalypto.

For his part, Youngblood said: "I don't want the rest of my career to be pursuing Native-American roles; I want to be challenged as an actor."

The debate over Youngblood's ancestry highlights the complexity involved when determining what it means to be an American Indian.

Conflicting parentage

Youngblood's website states: "Rudy is from the Tahchawwickah Comanche family, his father is the late Preston Tahchawwickah.

He is adopted Cree. Like many native people, Rudy is an integral part of several Indian families throughout the United States."

Jolene Schonchin, a spokeswoman for the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma, said Youngblood "is not on our tribal rolls, but he does have Comanche blood. His father was a prominent member of the Comanche tribe, Preston Tahchawwickah."

That claim does not sit well with some members of the Tahchawwickah family. "I never heard of this guy until this film came out," said Rodney Tahchawwickah of Cache, Oklahoma .

Another of Preston's children, Lance Tahchawwickah, has supported Youngblood, calling him "my brother".

Youngblood told the Los Angeles Times that Preston Tahchawwickah was not his biological but his ceremonially adoptive father.

Youngblood's defenders have blasted Yeagley and questioned his motives.

"The bottom line is, we don't need to explain anything to him," Shining Elk said. "Rudy is just a target."

Donna Talamantes, a trustee of the First Americans in the Arts, lamented that the flap had ensnared a promising actor.

"The sad thing is that as Native-Americans, we are the only people in the country who have to prove who we are as native to the country."