海角大神

Did Buffy Sainte-Marie lie to me during an interview?

When I profiled the 鈥渇irst lady of Indigenous music,鈥� I found her immensely likable. Now, a year later, alleges she鈥檚 misled people about her heritage and is not Native by birth. First Nation tribes are grappling with the implications of the CBC鈥檚 investigation. So am I.

During my conversation with Ms. Sainte-Marie, she said, 鈥淚鈥檝e had opportunities that other Indigenous people have not had.鈥� The Oscar-winning songwriter was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada. She won a Polaris Heritage Prize. In 2021, she appeared on a Canadian postage stamp.聽

The icon claims she鈥檚 an Indigenous child adopted by white parents in Massachusetts. But the CBC report offers evidence that her Massachusetts parents are her biological parents.聽

In , Ms. Sainte-Marie responded that her mother had told her she was adopted. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I鈥檓 from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know,鈥� she said.

While these competing narratives played out, I revisited the artist鈥檚 protest song 鈥淏ury My Heart at Wounded Knee.鈥� It鈥檚 still powerful, a reminder of a genuine anguish at how Indigenous people have been treated. Ms. Sainte-Marie told me that her proudest achievement was seeing recipients of her scholarships go on to become presidents and founders of tribal colleges.

Now, Canada鈥檚 Indigenous communities are wrestling with the news. Kamao Cappo, a member of Pasqua First Nation, that the singer鈥檚 success gave hope to children. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a star has fallen,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow do we replace that?鈥�

Ira Lavallee, acting chief of Piapot First Nation 鈥� the tribe that embraced Ms. Sainte-Marie when she was an adult 鈥� is waiting to see how his people think about the revelations. But, he told the CBC, 鈥淏uffy will always be part of our community. ... We鈥檙e not going to turn our back on her.鈥�