The Fifth Estate released a short documentary questioning if Buffy St. Marie is actually Indigenous. You can watch the video just below right here:
One of the things I love to do is powwow dance. I got to perform with Buffy St. Marie twice in my lifetime as a background Powwow dancer at two of her shows. She was very kind and she said something to me that really helped me in my artist career. I don’t actually know what was said, but it was how she made me feel. Like it was possible for me as well.
I’m the type of person that knows we cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. The whole world of pretendians is coming to light on how many people benefit from claiming to be Indigenous.
The allegations are saying that Buffy is actually Italian and grew up with a white family and has white siblings who also claim Buffy is not Indigenous.
This rattled the whole Indigenous world because in our world she is an Icon. She has been a leader and a voice for Indigenous issues.
Through her work advocating for Indigenous peoples, it made a lot of our people fall in love with her and what she stood for.
Then at the same time now people are struggling that the Icon, the Legend, may have faked it all just to benefit saying she was Indigenous. That caused a lot of mixed views from a lot of Indigenous people not knowing what side they stand on.
Some are standing strong with Buffy and others are disgraced and heartbroken.
Here is what Buffy Had to Say About the Situation
Right now maybe a professional DNA test might have all the answers we all want, but that is something that is not being done as we know it.
For now a lot of the evidence is very strong the support that she is not Indigenous.
There is another side to this coin as well. There’s the Cree adoption to the Piapot family which is also ceremonial. This is where a lot of people are finding struggle with as well.
There is a lot of mix reactions online about this whole situation.
People are hurt, people are in pain, people are heartbroken, and others are in shock, and want to stand with her and are very supportive.
I still think we have to see how it all plays out to make any real verdict.
It’s wrong to pretend your Indigenous to gain and further your own career. If you are against one person doing it, then you have to be the same for everyone else.
What sucks for me is that she is one of the biggest icons and names for our Indigenous community and it could all be built off a lie….but we will see.
What are your thoughts about this whole thing?
Let us know in the comments below.
25 replies to "How Indigenous Are Reacting to Buffy St. Marie News"
[…] a time when indigenous voices are often marginalized and their cultures threatened, promoting and supporting indigenous […]
I suppose her admiration for indigenous people was so strong she wanted to be one. Many world-wide, seem that way as well, like in Germany where people playout the pow wow on weekends. In the USA I’ve seen hobbyists playout the pow wow as well.
There is a lot of hobbyist out there playing Indigenous people. They feel some connection to the way we live our lives. What do you think her next steps should be?
She should completely and unequivocally admit she falsely portrayed herself as a First Nations Canadian, and use her fame and fortune to help fight against all other such impostors. She should candidly discuss the question whether or not posing as Native was a conscious choice to make a name in the folk music world in the ultra-competitive atmosphere of early-1960’s Greenwich Village, NY. She should apologize to her family for disowning and silencing them. She should give back all her Native music awards before they are formally rescinded. For starters.
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A DNA test, obviously.
Refusal to do so — guilty as claimed.
She doesn’t deserve to be touted as a legend. All us indigenous people wanted was the truth to come out about our history. She is a Hippocratic symbol lying in the same way and hiding and benefiting off indigenous same as Europeans did. And she herself is European and stealing to this day just as they did so many years ago.
Do you think she would have championed all the Indigenous causes if she didn’t play the role of an Indigenous person?
I do, and I’m as caucasian as it is possible to be, but I’m not really qualified here to give my opinion. Anyone here who wants to know it, can ask me
You are forgetting an influx of toxic gatekeeping towards light skinned and reconnecting natives online. It has turned on emotions high and in turn they are targeting innocent people.
Reconnecting natives are already in fragile states and some have been trying to reconnect for years. And along comes someone, they don’t know, try and blame them for being a pretendian. How much longer do you think that will set them back?
I legit had an “enrolled” member who was whiter than me, whose children were whiter than mine, accuse me of being a pretendian. This cancel culture needs to be calmed down and thw indigenous community needs to slap the hands of those who wrongfully accuse other natives…much like how Jacqueline Keeler has done in the past. All in the name of trying to get a Pulitzer Prize. Tsk.
Which people did Jacqueline Keeler wrongfully accuse?
How many indigenous entertainers were in the same category as Bluffy? , and the award went to Bluffy the Italian?
Ya it could have changed a lot of peoples lives if they got it. A lot of those awards are life altering.
She Lies (present) for fame about being Indigenous,. This is now the worst case of Prendenian in History. She can straighten it all out with a DNA test. If Buffy is Indigenous her DNA will NOT be related to her St.Maria Family. Evil Wicked to scare her own family to maintain her lies, She probably sticks to her lies though. She continues to hold a lot of power and influence. I changed my mind, I no longer stand by Buffy. The evidence is overwhelming, I hope families sue her and make her do a DNA and admit she lied about her Birth Certificate.
What does UNDRIP, say? The Indigenous Nation that adopted Buffy has that human Right.
So far none of the allegations have been proven in a court and certified that fraud occurred.
Koh’gwin’zhii ~ Wise Fire
As a non native I am reminded of the similarities to “Grey Owl,” Archibald Stansfeld Belaney.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Owl
Mr. Belaney also opened doors and minds with his work, but the cloak of deception he wore left long standing hurt and pain. One of his sons from one of his wives, a native, referred to his father as Archie Baloney.
Truth is always the best path to walk upon.
Keep in mind nobody she says she didn’t know and never offered solid evidence. You all clamored to accept her as the Indigenous icon because she made it to fame doing things that nobody else would fighting the good fight putting her and her people in the line of fire. She was not just adopted by Indigenous relatives but by those in positions of privilege and prestige central in their community. She may have actually thought she was Indigenous and it all may be unfortunately not the case. Now stating the obvious just because your father is in the hospital at birth doesn’t mean he’s your biological Dad and often genes get diluted especially non dominant including Indigenous genes that aren’t always expressed in many mixed blood cases and thus genetic testing is often used as another method of forced assimilation although they can also help while not necessarily telling the complete truth of one’s genealogy. There are many full bloods for example that find out they are less than a quarter and mixed bloods that have none at all and get dis-enrolled from their tribe because there have been Europeans mixed in for centuries. People also lie about their caucasian ancestry all the time like my Gramps who’s father learned to pass and was probably Cherokee but may have been from any tribe, black, both, Mexican or even Italian. Which gene did you get? Did you get mistaken for another race and who created the theory of race? That word is meant to define another species and today we feel the caucasian breed is indeed non-human so naturally anyone who can get away with another identity feels a little more purpose. How about we do away with white people. When does one become white and brown? When the Moors invaded Europe and taught the filthy Europeans to bathe?
You’re all so judgmental. I always believe that only God has the right to judge anybody. In the big picture this whining and sniveling is so trivial. Let her be. Her life was dedicated to the betterment of Native people. Look at yourselves and judge who’s honest and who’s not. Only God knows.
Very possible, she was Grey Owl reincarnated and told not to do it again, but just couldn’t resist doing it again.
She claimed indigenous and fought for people’s rights, in a time when that was not a comfortable thing to do. She practiced the lifestyle and brought hope to many people. Does it really matter what back ground the family who put her for adoption is. She practiced what she preached. She didn’t lie. The DNA options became available after she was already setting her path.
I feel so angry! Too many times have Indigenous people been taken advantage of …by these kind of “fake Wanna Be ”s” !!! But … this one takes the Bannock ,,,,! !!
What hurt me the most, was her Extortion!! .. to her brother! – and the intimidating letter from the Lawyer!! ..they should be sued too !!
It’s the intent and deceit that hurts the most. She tarnished many hearts she did not have to do this and she had many years to come clean.
She used the Piapot family.
Seems to me advocating for Indigenous Rights was her biggest effort throughout her career. Division, and pitting this against that has always been the efforts of those who would weaken Indigenous Rights.
As a non-Indigenous person, I cannot and will not speak to how the First Nations community should feel or react to this situation.
I would like however to say that however this goes, those of us outside of your community; who are legitimately trying to come to terms with the horrific treatment we and our ancestors have caused you (either directly or through ignorance and inaction) should not and hopefully will not stop seeking to reconcile with our pasts and to do better in our future. One person’s story (no matter the influence their notariety may have generated), is not everyone’s story and I hope everyone of good conscience keeps that in mind.
I wish all people effected by this news, peace, understanding and healing.
It is mentioned she is 30 percent native. My 4 children are 25 percent native and enrolled in the Meskwaki tribe. Years ago a native lady told my Granddaughter who is one eighth Meskwaki that she is still Meskwaki, still native. QUANTUM is not the way natives should view each other. It’s just the white man’s way of assimulation.
The world of entertainment is based on “image” and perception. The create a product to sell, the artist is the product, the image is what they sell. How many artists have a real name and then their public image name: ie: Cher. This image can come easy or may take some time. Some borrow (appropriate) from other cultures, with out permission. Who someone is may different from “what someone is.” What I may admire, identify with / relate to / connect with is different than what my cultural identity is, my ethnicity. Even though I may not be of that group (another culture) I still can relate to / identify with it/them and all that it entails. When she found someone indigenous (Piapot Indian Reserve elder) she really identified with, felt for, and befriended, she found her “identity home.” Image complete. This took place in the late 1960s at the Wikwemikong Pow Wow. She looked the part, played the part, had a community to call home. Package complete. Then she really sold it. From within the harsh reality of Indigenous people, there are so many who still ashamed to be seen as First Nations, work so hard to not be indigenous, hide their Indian roots, disguise their true Aboriginal identity, and mask their skin colour. Buffy did just the opposite. Why, during such turbulent times for Indigenous people did she do this? These are the things she did, Indigenous or not, she is/was an image of our struggle. She gave a voice to challenges. Good or bad, now with so much to lose, she has given so much, helped shed light on our struggles. If anything, she learned from Indigenous culture, it was the importance of giving back.