Joseph Boyden grew up in Willowdale, North York, Ontario, and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School.

The article focused on inconsistencies in Boyden's accounts of Indigenous heritage and a lack of support for his statements in his family tree.

[14] In response to the article, Boyden continued to assert his maternal Ojibway and paternal Nipmuc roots, but said he had only meant he was of mixed blood when he used the term Métis.

[15] Rebeka Tabobondung, editor of Muskrat Magazine, said that Boyden had previously told her he was from the Wasauksing First Nation, like her, but she had been unable to confirm this.

[21] Critics questioned whether his work was authentic, whether he had profited from his self-identification at the expense of people who were recognized First Nations citizens, and whether his statements or presentation of Indigenous subjects were harmful.

[13][22][23] David Newhouse, chairman of Indigenous studies at Trent University, said that he thought Boyden's self-identification was genuine but that his claims were vague and therefore couldn't be proven.

He said he had not relied on his identity as an Indigenous person to popularize his books, and had only won one literary prize based on heritage which awarded only a small amount of money.

[26][2] Subsequent reports by Canadaland and others questioned several inconsistencies in Boyden's recent statements, and failed to corroborate any Native ancestry.

On December 30, 2015, Boyden was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as an author, who tells stories of our common heritage, and for his social engagement, notably in support of First Nations".