Fauxahontas
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Late last year, CBC received a tip that Sainte-Marie is not of Cree ancestry but, in fact, has European roots. She is the latest high-profile public figure whose ancestry story has been contradicted by genealogical documentation, including her own birth certificate, historical research and personal accounts — the latest chapter in the complex and growing debate around Indigenous identity in Canada.
Indigenous scholars like Kim TallBear, a professor of Native studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and a member of Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, say it’s unacceptable for non-Indigenous people to speak for Indigenous people and take honours set aside for them.
“It’s theft of opportunities, resources. It’s theft of our stories,” she said.
For many years, Sainte-Marie claimed she was born on the Piapot First Nation near Regina.
But some members of Sainte-Marie’s family believe her story is built on an elaborate fabrication.
“She wasn’t born in Canada.… She’s clearly born in the United States,” said Heidi St. Marie, daughter of Sainte-Marie’s older brother, Alan. “She’s clearly not Indigenous or Native American.”
That claim is supported by documents obtained by CBC, including Sainte-Marie’s Stoneham, Mass., birth certificate. The investigation also shows that her account of her ancestry has been a shifting narrative, full of inconsistencies and inaccuracies.
In a Sept. 18 email to CBC, Sainte-Marie’s Ontario-based lawyer, Josephine de Whytell, said: “At no point has Buffy Sainte-Marie personally misrepresented her ancestry or any details about her personal history to the public.”
Any perceived inconsistencies CBC has found in Sainte-Marie’s story, de Whytell said, “can be explained by the truth.”
Sainte-Marie declined CBC’s requests for an interview.
But in a video statement posted to Facebook Thursday, she reiterated that she is “a proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada” and said there are many things she doesn’t know about her ancestry.
However, CBC’s investigation found many instances over the years of contradictory statements from the singer regarding that personal history.
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The only people who seem to be concerned about this for the most part are a few academics and progressives, mostly white women. The aboriginal folks here are taking in it stride and generally accepting her for what she has given them over the years through her music and advocacy.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/buffy-sainte-marie-reaction-piapot-1.7011149
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