Oh Buffy

Oh, Buffy

On October 26, 2023, rumours began circulating about an upcoming CBC Fifth Estate story questioning music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigeneity.

My first thought was: Oh, man. The gatekeepers are coming after Buffy. How dare they? C’mon, she’s obviously Native, right?

No. Wrong.

Before the story aired, I believed Buffy’s heartfelt pre-emptive video defense. I’ve personally experienced gatekeeping around my own Indigeneity, and I know how painful it can be. So I immediately sided with her. In my case, I get it. I’m a blue-eyed, fair-skinned old lady; I understand why people might question me. But Buffy? Yes, I’ll admit, I looked at her features, just as others look at mine.

Then I watched the Fifth Estate investigation. It’s convincing, painfully so. I don’t want it to be true, but the evidence is difficult to ignore.

According to CBC, Buffy Sainte-Marie claimed she was born in Canada and adopted into the U.S. In reality, she was born in the U.S. and raised by her biological family. Some have tried to explain this away, suggesting her birth certificate might have been altered, but that’s not how adoption works, even in the days of looser documentation.

I was born in 1959 and adopted in 1963 in British Columbia. My own Registration of Live Birth was altered. Under “Ethnicity,” the original entry was redacted and replaced with “white.” On its surface, that sounds sinister, but if you saw me, you’d understand. Adopted children are issued a new birth certificate showing their adoptive name. According to CBC, that didn’t happen with Buffy.

Without rehashing the full story, I’ll link both the Fifth Estate episode and Buffy’s rebuttal below.

The Problem for Me

It appears that Buffy lied. A big, enduring lie. And that’s what stings.

As an adopted Indigenous woman, I can tell you that foster care and adoption are deeply traumatic experiences. Not knowing where you belong, searching for your birth family, fearing you’ll hurt your adoptive family in the process, all of it is heavy and real.

To pretend that kind of pain… that’s too big a lie.

I don’t deny that Buffy Sainte-Marie has done tremendous work for Indigenous peoples across North America. She’s been a role model, a trailblazer, and an ally. But there’s a difference between being an ally and being Indigenous.

Allies listen, learn, and advocate. They work to break down barriers. But recognizing those challenges isn’t the same as living them. To claim Indigeneity when you are, in fact, a privileged settler is to diminish the lived experiences of those who have carried that identity, and its weight, all their lives.

As a fair-skinned Indigenous person (and yes, I have the receipts), I haven’t faced all the struggles some of my cousins have endured. But I’ve spent a lifetime having to prove who I am. So when a white woman lies about being Indigenous, it hits me where it hurts.

I’ve admired Buffy Sainte-Marie since I was a child. Her music shaped me. I can’t just flip a switch and stop feeling that admiration, but now I know too much.

And I’m so frigging disappointed.

The Fifth Estate: Buffy Sainte-Marie Story
🔗 Watch on YouTube

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Response
🔗 Watch on Facebook