I've been challenged by many why I'm giving the argument he wasn't born Indian a place in cyberspace. I have no plans on doing anything else with the information on Iron Eyes Cody. No book, nothing. No financial interest in Iron Eyes Cody whatsoever. This page is a part of a site with info on many American Indian actors.
Truth is a funny thing.
It's very hard to know what is true in a case like this, and when all is said and done - you may not like the truth. Many American Indians get very angry when someone continues to say that he was born white. They're saying only the whites say that. I don't like to take sides, but I have to say that for now it looks plausible to me that he was in fact born white. Check out the What a Character bio for a very sympathetic portrayal of him as a complex person.