"This is my truth": Buffy Sainte-Marie responds to CBC questioning her Indigenous identity
Order of Canada recipient Buffy Sainte-Marie has responded to a CBC investigation that questioned her claims about her Indigenous identity.
The CBC report was published on October 27. The broadcaster said it received a tip in late 2022 that Sainte-Marie was not of Cree ancestry as she claimed but had European roots — English and Italian, to be exact.
The investigation included personal accounts, some from the musician’s family members, and genealogical documentation, including a birth certificate that shows Sainte-Marie was born in the US.
A Fifth Estate documentary titled Making An Icon was released the same day. It also called into question Sainte-Marie’s claims of sexual abuse at her family members’ hands. A day before the article and documentary went live, Sainte-Marie shared the following video on Instagram.
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This week, an earlier documentary celebrating the 82-year-old received an Emmy and caused a stir. Indigenous Women’s Collective called it “a slap in the face.”
Documentaries are supposed to present factual information. An Emmy win is a slap in the face to so many Indigenous people tonight.
Pretendianism is an act of colonial violence and should never be celebrated. We can not denounce it for one, and ignore it for another.
— Indigenous Women’s Collective (@IndigenousWome4) November 21, 2023
Now, nearly a month after the damning CBC report, Sainte-Marie has shared a lengthy double-down statement refuting the broadcaster’s claims.
Her publicist says the CBC investigation made “several false representations” and that it “presented perspectives which are ignorant of Indigenous culture, history, and law.”
“I have never lied about my identity. The more I’ve known, the more I’ve pieced together a sense of self from what information has been available to me,” she said in the document emailed to Daily Hive. “The attack on my character is full of mistakes and omissions. While I will not stoop to respond to every false allegation, I feel it is important to clarify two things.”
These two things are CBC’s claims about her birth certificate and the suspicion cast on her accounts of abuse.
According to the document, Sainte-Marie had never seen the birth certificate shown in the Fifth Estate documentary and had a different version in her possession altogether.
“These documents, which were produced in 1941, cannot reasonably be presented as factual,” the statement reads. “There is significant evidence which demonstrates harmful colonial practices at the time meant it was common for birth certificates of Indigenous children to be ‘created’ by western governments after they were adopted or taken away from their families.”
The singer has alleged sexual abuse by her brother, Alan, and one other unnamed family member in the past. She says that in the documentary, two of her estranged family members “refute this fact based on lies” perpetrated by Buffy’s abusive father.
“The CBC falsely suggests Buffy’s sexual abuse as a child could be a fabrication without presenting her version of the facts,” the statement reads, adding that there is evidence of abuse in her childhood diaries and people who knew her before she was famous can speak to it.
Sainte-Marie is a member of the Piapot family. She pointed out that CBC did not speak to a member of the Piapot family, any representative from the Piapot First Nation, or “anyone familiar with Cree laws and traditions.”
Further in the statement, Sainte-Marie lashes out at the claim that she’s taken away the spotlight from Indigenous artists.
“Throughout her 60+ year career, Buffy has created hundreds of jobs for Indigenous artists,” it reads, noting multiple instances where the star rallied for true representation — especially Indigenous artists playing Indigenous roles on TV.
Per the CBC report, Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigeneity changed over time. She claimed to be Mi’kmaq or Algonquin early in her career but later identified as Cree.
Her publicist says these claims are “entirely consistent with the story Buffy has shared throughout her life.”
“Growing up, Buffy’s mother and her family talked about being descended from the Mi’kmaq people, whose language was classified as being in the Algonquin group: Buffy’s early claims refer to this connection. As a young adult, Buffy was adopted into a Cree family (Piapot) and discovered oral history which connected her to the Piapot First Nation: Buffy’s later claims refer to this connection,” the statement reads.
Sainte-Marie says her Indigenous identity is rooted in a deep connection to a community that has profoundly shaped her life and work.
“For my entire life, I have championed Indigenous and Native American causes when nobody else would or had the platform to do so,” she said. “I am proud to have been able to travel the world, sharing Indigenous stories. I have always tried to bridge gaps between communities and educate people to live in love and kindness.”
“Most importantly, this is my life – I am not a piece of paper. I am a product of both my families and all my experiences in this world.”
Sainte-Marie said she’s happy for anyone who is a “pure-blood documented something.”
“It’s awesome and beautiful to hear you speak your lineage, history and genealogy. But even if your documentation says you’re racially pure, you might miss the point. 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,” she concluded.
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