University prof who lived her life as a Native American and used it to get prestigious jobs was actually white

A professor at the University of California-Berkeley has come under fire after she apologized for 'incorrectly' identifying as Native American her 'whole life.'

In a lengthy statement on Monday, sociology professor Elizabeth Hoover confirmed she is not actually a member of the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq tribes as she had been told growing up in upstate New York, affirming: 'I am a white person.'

She said she never knowingly falsified her identity or tried to deceive anyone, writing on her personal website: 'I'm a human. I didn't set out to hurt or exploit.'

But now she is facing calls from more than 300 students and professors to resign from her position at the school.

They are accusing Hoover of being a 'pretendian,' or a white person who falsely claims to have Indigenous ancestry in order to profit.