Buffy Sainte-Marie Pushes Back on News Report Questioning Her Indigenous Heritage, Calls it an Attack on Her Character and Legacy

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Buffy Sainte-Marie, the renowned singer, songwriter, and activist, is hitting back at a news report that casts doubt on her Indigenous heritage. Sainte-Marie firmly maintains that she has never lied about her identity and asserts that the recent CBC report was riddled with errors and omissions. In her first public statement since the article’s publication, the 82-year-old icon condemns the story as an attack on her character, life, and legacy.

According to Sainte-Marie, being Indigenous is not solely determined by “sperm tracking and colonial record keeping.” Instead, it is about community, culture, knowledge, teachings, and the bonds of love and family. She emphasizes that her identity is deeply rooted in her connections to the people who claim her and those she loves. In a written statement to The Canadian Press, she states, “Being an ‘Indian’ has little to do with sperm tracking and colonial record keeping: it has to do with community, culture, knowledge, teachings, who claims you, who you love, who loves you and who’s your family.”

The controversy arose when CBC reported in October that it had discovered Sainte-Marie’s birth certificate, which indicated that she was born in Massachusetts in 1941 to white parents. The document, which includes the signature of an attending physician, is said to be supported by Sainte-Marie’s marriage certificate, a life insurance policy, and the United States census. Additionally, family members in the U.S., including Sainte-Marie’s younger sister, corroborated the information, asserting that she was neither adopted nor of Indigenous ancestry.

However, Sainte-Marie counters these claims by suggesting that birth certificates were often “created” after Indigenous children were adopted or taken away from their families. She reveals that she has used a birth certificate throughout her life, the authenticity of which she has always questioned. She explains that she has never known whether it is genuine or not, stating, “I’ve heard from countless people with similar stories who do not know where they are from and feel victimized by these allegations. Most importantly, this is my life – I am not a piece of paper.”

CBC journalist Chuck Thompson stands by the story, asserting that the evidence was presented fairly. He maintains that CBC obtained Sainte-Marie’s birth certificate from the town clerk in Stoneham, Mass., who confirmed its authenticity as an original live birth certificate. Thompson dismisses the possibility of another document being inserted afterward. He also reveals that CBC interviewed two estranged family members who claim to have knowledge about Sainte-Marie’s background. These family members allegedly perpetuated a story that was fabricated by her alleged childhood abuser.

Sainte-Marie contends that CBC’s portrayal of her estranged family members is inaccurate, as she does not even know them. She accuses them of perpetuating lies that originated from her alleged abuser. To support her claim, she references a letter from 1975 that she and her lawyers sent to her brother, who has since passed away. CBC’s report suggests that the letter was received by her brother after he informed someone from PBS that Sainte-Marie was not Indigenous. However, Sainte-Marie asserts that the letter was intended to protect her from further abuse and expresses her deep hurt at discovering that her estranged family grew up scared of her due to the contents of the letter.

CBC maintains that it made efforts to contact Sainte-Marie, her counsel, and her publicist multiple times before publishing the report. Although Sainte-Marie was provided with a copy of the letter to her brother, she declined to comment. Thompson also states that CBC extensively quoted from Sainte-Marie’s public comments and biographies in its report, despite her refusal to speak with them. He asserts that CBC represented her voice to the best of their ability.

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigenous identity has been a central aspect of her life and career since the 1960s. Her debut record, “It’s My Way!,” featured the protest song “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone,” which addressed the loss of Indigenous lands. She also brought First Nations culture to “Sesame Street” and made history as the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1982 for co-writing “Up Where We Belong” from the film “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Over the course of her six-decade career, she has received multiple Juno Awards and was awarded the $50,000 Polaris Music Prize in 2015.

However, there have been calls for the revocation of the awards Sainte-Marie has received in light of the CBC report. The controversy surrounding her heritage intensified earlier this week when a documentary about her life and career, titled “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” won an International Emmy Award in the arts programming category. The Indigenous Women’s Collective, a group advocating against colonial violence towards Indigenous women, expressed their disappointment, describing the award as a “slap in the face.”

In her statement, Sainte-Marie expresses gratitude to the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for recognizing the team behind the documentary. She acknowledges that the Emmy Award comes at a time when she is still processing the attack on her character and legacy. She states, “I’ve always believed it takes rain and sunshine to bring a rainbow. This great honor does indeed come after the rain – as I continue to absorb and process the recent attack on my character, life, and legacy.”

The CBC report alleges that Sainte-Marie’s birth, childhood, and identity have shifted throughout her career. It suggests that she initially identified as Algonquin and Mi’kmaq before claiming to be Cree and adopted from a mother in Saskatchewan. Conflicting stories about her adoption have also circulated, with some sources claiming she was an infant, while others insist she was a toddler when she was taken in by an American family. There are also differing accounts regarding the fate of her birth parents, with some sources claiming they died and others suggesting her mother was killed in a car crash.

The documentary “Carry It On” briefly touches on Sainte-Marie’s childhood, referring to her as an “adopted child” born in Canada who grew up in Massachusetts and Maine. Sainte-Marie herself states in the film that her mother told her she could discover her ancestry when she grew up. Information provided by her publicist asserts that her story has remained consistent with what she has known. Sainte-Marie’s mother spoke of their Mi’kmaq heritage, whose language belongs to the Algonquian group. As an adult, Sainte-Marie was adopted into a Cree family after discovering oral history that connected her to the Piapot First Nation.

Throughout her life, Sainte-Marie has grappled with questions about her identity. She made numerous attempts to uncover information about her background but eventually came to terms with the fact that she would never have definitive answers. Sainte-Marie reveals that being questioned in this manner is deeply painful for her and for the two families she holds dear. She concludes her statement by stating, “Which is why, to be questioned in this way is painful, both for me, and for my two families I love so dearly.”

Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding her Indigenous heritage, Buffy Sainte-Marie remains an influential figure in the music industry and an advocate for Indigenous rights. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 23, 2023..