CBC says legendary musician Buffy Sainte-Marie鈥檚 birth certificate, other documents and details from family members contradict the singer鈥檚 claim that she is Indigenous.
Sainte-Marie said Thursday ahead of the report that she doesn鈥檛 know who her birth parents are or where she鈥檚 from.
She called herself 鈥渁 proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.鈥�
CBC located her birth certificate, which says Sainte-Marie was born in 1941 in Stoneham, Mass., and the document lists the baby and parents as white.
CBC says Sainte-Marie鈥檚 marriage certificate, a life insurance policy and a United States census corroborate the information on the birth certificate.
Family members in the U.S., including Sainte-Marie鈥檚 younger sister, told the public broadcaster that Sainte-Marie was not adopted and does not have Indigenous ancestry.
Indigenous people are grappling with doubts over singer Buffy Sainte-Marie鈥檚 First Nations bona fides after a CBC story Friday raised questions about her Indigenous ancestry and renewed debate about who gets to speak for whom.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like telling people Santa Claus doesn鈥檛 exist,鈥� said Tracy Robinson, member of the Indigenous Women鈥檚 Collective.
鈥淲ho does that?鈥�
Sainte-Marie said Thursday ahead of the CBC report that she doesn鈥檛 know who her birth parents are and she considers herself 鈥渁 proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.鈥�
Many defend the much-loved musician, saying she鈥檚 never used Indigenous heritage to get ahead and has long and strong ties with a Saskatchewan Cree community.
But others say if Sainte-Marie is lying about her past, it silences those who did suffer wrongs.
鈥淚t takes away our authentic voice and takes away spaces from Indigenous people who really need that,鈥� said Crystal Semaganis, a survivor of the 鈥�60s Scoop, which refers to the thousands of Indigenous children who were adopted into families far from their original culture.
Controversies over so-called 鈥減retendians鈥� have erupted in recent years, with critics saying they take opportunities and resources away from those for whom they were meant.
Sainte-Marie鈥檚 case is different, said Eleanore Sunchild, an Indigenous lawyer and professor.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big difference between people who know they鈥檙e not Indigenous but continue the false narrative and people like Buffy who honestly don鈥檛 know where they originate.鈥�
Far from benefiting, Sainte-Marie has taken risks because of what she believed to be her identity, Sunchild said.
鈥淪he was advocating when it was dangerous to be an advocate. She put herself on the front lines.鈥�
As well, Sainte-Marie has long and intimate ties with what she calls her home community of Piapot First Nation, northeast of Regina.
鈥淪he鈥檚 always going to be our auntie and there鈥檚 nothing anyone can do about it,鈥� said niece Ntawnis Piapot.
Piapot said her family supports Sainte-Marie and she dismissed CBC鈥檚 presentation of the singer鈥檚 American birth certificate as 鈥渃olonial record-keeping.鈥�
Sunchild also questioned the document, saying many such records from that era were falsified.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen adoptees with birth certificates with names and locations that match the locations of the adoptive parents,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know that the records aren鈥檛 accurate.鈥�
But being adopted into a family isn鈥檛 the same as being appointed to speak on behalf of anyone, said Indigenous writer and journalist Drew Hayden Taylor.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 their right,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut can that member of my family speak for the entire Indigenous nation? That鈥檚 another discussion.鈥�
Still, he argued that Indigenous communities get to decide on their membership.
鈥淚t used to be the dominant culture got to decide everything. That鈥檚 changing now.鈥�
Something may be amiss with Sainte-Marie鈥檚 account of her past, he added.
鈥淲here there鈥檚 smoke, there鈥檚 fire. A good chunk of the Canadian Indigenous community are Buffy fans and this is casting a big dark cloud over that community.鈥�
The story, if true, is painful, he said.
鈥淚t does do harm. I think there鈥檚 just as much done if the truth isn鈥檛 exposed.鈥�
The singer鈥檚 social media feed was dozens deep Friday with posts expressing support, and Hayden Taylor said Sainte-Marie is more than loved by many Indigenous people.
鈥淪he鈥檚 spent so many years in the hearts of North American Indigenous people, I don鈥檛 think this will affect her (stature) at all.鈥�
The Indigenous Women鈥檚 Collective has exposed other cases of dubious identity, but Robinson called the CBC story an 鈥渦ninvited truth鈥� that comes from outside the Indigenous community. She fears debate over its conclusions could divide Indigenous people.
鈥淭his is traumatizing people because it鈥檚 uninvited truth. Indigenous people are feeling attacked.
鈥淭he only thing we can really learn from this is about ourselves and our propensity to divide ourselves.鈥�
Semaganis said Sainte-Marie can continue to be a beacon of creativity and human rights, but the picture may have to change.
鈥淓verybody loves Buffy Sainte-Marie. I love Buffy Sainte-Marie. The songs that she wrote did come from a spiritual place, and I honour her Piapot family that adopted her.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 going to take a while for my people to come to terms with it, but I hope that people make space in their lives for the truth, and we can still continue to love Sainte-Marie.鈥�
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