Buffy Sainte-Marie story brought tears to the eyes of Indigenous musician | Nation to Nation 

She blackmailed her brother in 1972 if he ever told anyone about her real identity. Accusations of being a pedophile. What a role model for indigenous people

Not only did she lie about being Native Canadian -- is neither native nor Canadian -- she disowned the people who gave birth to her and raised her and then threatened to spread lies about her brother [that he was a sexual predator] to shut him up. What a vile individual. Who would want to claim her for any reason? This is entirely detrimental to the Native American community in both Canada and the United States. She should be ashamed, recant, apologise and give back whatever she's taken from native people, including awards and honours. It's a terrible situation that happened for no reason except her self-promotion years ago. A story that grew legs and was never set straight at though it was without consequences. The ramifications are enormous and she's lucky not to be prosecuted.

If she was born in the States, then the Order of Canada award obviously needs to be returned, as well as all of the indigenous awards.

She was only adopted because they thought she was an indigenous person adopted as a baby

What's it called when a person defends their abuser? Beverly abused trust, misappropriated cultural identity, and stole honours for decades. Why are people defending and excusing her behavior as somehow honorable? It is disgusting behaviour. Only a truly horrible person would undertake such a grand scam. Recgnize it for what it is, admit you were duped, and stop enabling her.

Buffy needs to come clean and apologize. She created a false persona and milked it to the hilt. We all know the truth now. Very sad.

If Buffy has any honor, she shouldn't even have to be asked to return all the awards and accolades she's received. She should do it voluntarily, as it is not only the honorable thing to do, but morally it is the right thing to do.

Buffy was wonderfully supportive of indigenous peoples, but she could have done that as an Italian-American woman. Tony Hillerman, the white American murder mystery writer, set most of his novels on the Navaho reservation in the southwest, and created strong, insightful, indigenous characters. Hillerman was honoured by the Navajo for his work.

She knew who she really was when she pulled her marriage certificate and when she threatened her brother! She should return the awards as well as all the financial benefits she earned as a result

She lied to the Piapot people to gain their trust, not cool

17:26: That's precisely the problem: "Her truth" is not the same thing as *the* truth.

Buffy can end this by doing a DNA test. She lied about being from Saskatchewan or even Canadian. What is most shocking to me is how she blackmailed her own brother when he told everyone she is white and Italian. She said she was going to tell everyone he molested her as a child. Her brother did tell their parents that the truth will come out one day. The poor man died with that bogus threat against him. She did hurt the Indigenous community, taking away the fame and everything that goes with it from a real Indigenous artist. I would like to see all awards returned.

DNA test

Her costumes and performances remind me of Elvis Presley impersonations.

Milli Vanilli gave back their award for not singing! Buffy should do the same thing and give it to the true Indigenous artist.

She lied. End of discussion. She needs to return all awards and honours and make a public apology. That is the minimum requirement in my mind.

Yes. Rescind the Juno award. Absolutely

The only good thing about this is is that she was caught before she died. She knows that the world is aware of what she has done. The jig is up. It's too bad the brother whom she viciously threatened isn't around to see this. My heart goes out to his daughter.

this guy is honest he doesn't fake his background buffy lied

Crees should sue her for the money she made in their name

She confiscated awards that should have gone to Indigenous Musicians...This is really really awful...How dare she think up a scheme like that And carry it through her entire musical career...This,coming to light brings us into a Dark Night....

I agree with her, I am angry, I love her and was so proud that she was a Cree Indigenous person, advocating for us. But now I feel duped, I feel like my friend has been lying to me for years. This does not feel good, It makes me mad.

Buffy may want to feel a part of the Indigenous people and she may be “adopted”, so to speak, by the Piapot indigenous family, but that doesn’t make her ancestry to be indigenous… just like when a caucasien family adopts a Black or Asian child…the child is raised in the Caucasian culture but that doesn’t make either that Black or Asian child caucasien with a caucasien ancestry. Buffy should have been transparent and truthful right from the beginning.

She was adopted into the Piepat family largely based upon her lies. These nice people should also recognize how they've been used.

I don’t have a right to weigh in on this as a white settler, but it strikes me that this was not just one big lie. It was a series, a lifetime of accumulated overt lies and choices. Every time she accepted an award, particularly a Juno, she had to prove that she was indigenous to be eligible for that award. That is not a passive act on her part. It’s a deliberate continued act of deception. My heart goes out to all indigenous people who are hurting and struggling to process this deep betrayal.

Questions: Should she not have to return all indigenous qualified gifts and grants given by the Canadian taxpayer/government ? Did she commit tax fraud ?

Sending love to the many First Nations people affected by the dishonourable BSM story.

One should NEVER have to tell a untruth about who you are!!

Imagine the tears it brought to her parents and grandparents and siblings and other members of her family. To make threats of child abuse so they would not tell the truth that she is white. Actually italian. Unbelievable. What goes around comes around.

NO ONE IS CRYING, WE ARE ANGRY! THE PRETENDIAN PULLED THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES.

I’m from OCN living in Ontario & agree with my cousin from The Pas & feel that a Real Indigenous Person should have won! The person should show their Treaty Status cause we have to renew every 3 years, not adopted by liars.

Focus on the REAL ISSUE - The issue is that Buffy Sainte-Marie actually LIED about her past and NOT KNOWING HER REAL FAMILY. Being accepted into the community is a good thing. And the work that she has done to raise awareness and hope is HIGHLY COMMENDABLE. BUT the real issue is that she LIED and continued and sustained that lie for decades when she really didn't have to.

My heart breaks for the people who went without deserved recognition because of BSM's actions. She told a story at a time when fact checking wasn't really a thing. That lie was a seed that grew into a tree so large it casts a shadow over everything now.

Since Buffy is American, she needs to give back her Order of Canada...or, rather, I expect it to be withdrawn. What Buffy has done is so cruel to the people who believed in her. The difference between Damien and Buffy is that he has been honest about his heritage. Thank you for presentin such a well balanced view of these issues; it is really useful.

YES nobody disagrees she was a gigantic inspiration to our nation, but look what she has done 😢she has betrayed both her nationality and ours.! She must now face the Music 🎵🎶🎵🎶 sadly to say........

Give it to Kelly Fraser posthumously to honor her memory. Can not stomach that Bluffy won over her,

Buffy grew up in a middle-class Italian family outside of Boston. Look at a photo of her mother - she looks EXACTLY the way Buffy looks now. There is no reason to think that she is not this Italian-American lady's daughter. Not all Italian people look like Northern Europeans. It is a country on the Mediterranean and lots of people are not pale-skinned. I always wanted to give Buffy the benefit of the doubt, perhaps her mother lied about the biological father. But then when you learn the story of how she threatened her older brother who disputed her claims, you realize, this person was living a lie that she would destroy her family to keep going. It is not surprising that she would support indigenous culture, she owes her career to it. Guilt can be a powerful motivator.

My prayers to you and all First Nations, my heart feels for you.

I am a non-Native and non-Canadian and never heard of the artist. I can only say, as an outsider, I am fine with her saying and being accepted into the Cree Nation. However, I believe she should have CLEARLY said, YEARS AGO, I am an American but STAND WITH THE CREE NATION peoples. An ongoing secret…comes out…really! So, beat it to the punch by exposing it and being honest from the start! What’s the difference between this woman’s story and Lance Armstrong’s winnings???? Get it???

Excellent reporting and information

What about the irony that in order for an indigenous artist to help others you have to be a white woman pretending to be indigenous

Buffy loved money more than her birth family.

Greenwich Village era Bob Dylan made up wild origin stories to build his mystery… then he stopped, Buffy didn’t stop

Sad on both sides but her real family 😢was the one who got pushed aside for so long her saying that 😞 she didn't know her birthday or never had a brith mom? Sad about her brother too, damn 😞 she did him dirty, saying that if he brought it up she was going to be hell for him , then spoke on air about the sa ,

My heart is with indigenous peoples right now. This is another point of hurt to communities that are still fighting and attempting to heal from generations of trauma. I’m so sorry.

She told Sesame children that she taught the Cree language. How did she learned the Cree language growing up in small town America?

Is Damien missing the point that Buffy wasn’t adopted at all?! Until she was an adult, which, IMO, is honorary, not an actual adoption.

She should give back all these awards and promote real native artists. This would be the only acceptable outcome.

I recall when it became fashionable to claim indigenous heritage a Sicilian friend of mine created a Native American version of her birth name and told us all she was adopted. Buffy St. Marie wasn't really original or creative in this respect. It was kind of easy for dark haired Italians to "pass".

Easy to fix this . Get Buffy St Marie to take a DNA test !

In the name of Truth & Reconciliation. Thank you.

Her marriage certificate has her birth state as Massachusetts. Did she not think she was lying then? Fantasy, in her own mind about this issue is really whats going on here. Narcissists do not believe that when they lie that its wrong. They make up their own version of reality and many people go along with it because they like them. They can con a lot of people yet feel no guilt at all. This could be the case here.

Finally someone interviewed a actual Canadian Cree musician who speaks the truth. BSM should be stripped of all these awards. Absolutely no respect for this Pretendian, cancel her.

PBS should also be held accountable knowing that she wasn’t an indigenous woman.

There is no more Buffy st Marie. Beverly needs to return all awards, and admit she is white.

She has played dress up her whole life! 😮

Remember when you are all alone there is spirits who will demand a answer! GOOD LUCK!

The women in the Indigenous Women's Collective have HAD to struggle to be recognized because of their Indigenous ancestry but Buffy CHOSE to when she didn't have to because she's white and isn't that a huge reason to give the June's back?

IMHO, there is a muddling of two different subjects here: 1) BSM's apparent lies regarding her ancestry 2) The very real attention to the cause of indigenous people BSM has accomplished The revelations are stunning and stepping back and reappraising all things BSM is a natural thing to do. But my guess is the tributes to indigenous people BSM promoted will not be diminished. And BSM will withdraw from the public spotlight and live with shame.

She's my favorite Italian-American folk artist.

I'm white, and holy moly.. am I ever taking racial flak for defending Indigneous people on this one. I didn't believe the Buffy story at first, and was quick to assume there must be some mistake. Then I watched the documentary, saw the photo of her sister, read other articles, watched other interviews, and at this point, unless Buffy will take a DNA test, the story is pretty telling: she is NOT Indigneous. I will always support Indigenous people because I'm personally involved as a woman married to an Indigenous man. I have come to understand their problems, when at first I didn't know much about them. I saw first hand how they are treated, and what sort of lives they lived, and how political things are that prevent them from obtaining what is rightfully theirs. I defend that. It takes listening and learning to do that. Not putting up barriers to prevent hearing the truth. I don't defend someone who plays dress-up and rolls with it while she acquires fame and fortune while pretending to be native. And yet, I'm on this side where people are doubting my allegiance because they view it as an Indigneous take-down. This is a bizarre case where people refuse to hear the truth about Buffy, and blindly want to accept her as Indigenous because naturally it's a loss to the community, a bit of the opposite of refusing to listen to Indigenous people when they have something to say and no one will listen. In this case, a white woman has something to say, and the do-gooders won't accept that they were duped, holding dearly onto the belief that she must be Indigenous, not realizing the actual harm that ignorance is doing to actual Indigenous people. Buffy did some good, paving the way for other artists, so let's support them and at least take what good is left from this and allow Buffy's influence to make way for those that deserve it.

She told multiple variations of her life story at different times. Not sure what her motives really were behind all the hurt and betrayal she's left for others to deal with. She reminds me of someone with Histrionic personality disorder and she needs help.

Why did my comment get deleted all i said was i didnt care for her music

I'm not indigenous but it made me angry and brought tears to my eyes as well, I'm not exactly for all the reasons why. It's kinda like the feeling of being cheated on. The order of Canada should be taken because she's not truly Canadian and the others too.

I'm all for people identifying however they wish. What I'm not for is they insisting I validate their lies.

There are several Canadian Arts Organizations with Websites that display the Biography of a man, stating he is euro/cree/mixed blood, but he isn't and he himself announced this a few years ago, including an apology to Cree Elders. I wish the Arts Organizations would update his Bio.

“While people want to participate in the ‘culture’, they never want the responsibility and suffering that comes with being black. To put it simply, they want our rhythm but not our blues.” - Wanna Thompson (on Caucasian people Black phishing or posing as Black) Where did Beverly Jean Santa-Maria suffer for her ‘indigenous’ status! It was all benefit, all rhythm, no blues . . .

I can't believe this, it's devastating, OMG - how can this be, absolutely shocking. She was one of my hero's. It has left her legacy soiled and tarnished. Can this really been true?

I don't think the adoptive family and relation is in question. That is beautiful....It is calling her birth family her 'growing up family' somehow denying her own biological reality.

Cree opera singer meets Italian Cree singer. Worlds are colliding.

She is Italian background/American and she should return the awards back like junos and it should go to the proper people. Her name is Beverly Santa Maria

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻absolutely! We have a hard enough time trying to claim our space in the world let alone a non aboriginal person butting in and having the Gaul to stand there and claim something that rightfully goes to a talented aboriginal who finally had the courage to compete with others!

Buffy St. Marie heritage has more in common to the girls from Jersey Shore than any indigenous community.

Non-natives are clueless how indigenous identity theft causes harm in our communities.

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a narcissist. A narcissist cannot admit mistakes and therefore almost never apologizes and if he does, it is only for strategic reasons; be it that he hopes to gain an advantage from this. When questioned, he spreads constant feelings of guilt and he has enormous manipulative powers. With great sensitivity he exploits the weaknesses of his fellow human beings and gives others the feeling of inadequacy, guilt and a bad conscience. They often stand out because of their arrogance and self-idealization. They cannot tolerate criticism, and failure can plunge them into serious crises. However, narcissistic people have difficulty empathizing with other people and often behave in a condescending manner towards others. Malignant narcissism is a combination of narcissism, aggression, paranoia and antisocial behavior. The term malignancy is used in medicine for malignant diseases. People of this type are confident in their greatness.

I feel betrayal, saddened, and shocked. I love buffys music, she should have been honest in the beginning of her career.

I’m an indigenous Sicilian and Buffy’s music speaks to me and helps keep our tribal memory alive 🇮🇹

Mamma Mia, that's a spicy meatball!

Bottom line it was a strategic business move she made and with the little talent she had she pulled it off laughing all the way to the bank bet retirement in Hawaii is nice

Mama mia!!!! Make a me soma spaghetti a mama Mia!!!!

Buffy has done so much good for indigenous people around the world.

You can see the hurt in her eyes,that is sad 😭, when buffy was doing her Facebook video in how she trying to explain about it she doesn't have any hurt in her eyes, it was so off sad 😭

This Buffy thing has gutted me:( I admired and related to her since she appeared on Sesame Street.i too was adopted in Sask.i didn't know I was part Cree until I found my biological family. I find what she has done is abhorrent.

Thank you for addressing this story about Buffy. I am left with questions...confusion....sadness. While the discussion about adoption and what it means is clearly a large and important discussion, i'm confused why there is so much focus on that , when the main issue about Buffy's story seems the fact she kept changing her story over time.. She said she was adopted by her white family in Mass.. Then she said she was adopted by the indigenous family in Canada. Then she kept sighting very different tribes / Nations and different details. This seems way beyond a question about defining what adoption into a tribe means. This seems about the out and out fabrications. The inconsistencies make that clear. This whole story is so very, very sad on so many levels and destroys trust when it is already so difficult. I wish she would speak out in clear truth. But she has dug in so deeply that I wonder . Just so sad about this..

People care too much about entertainers. There are much more important things to care about, like being deprived of subsoil rights, pipelines that shouldn't be constructed, communities that don't still have clean water and so on. Let's get on with our lives.

The junos..etc keep records...who ever came in second should get the juno..etc

Lying about being a Native American is one thing. Threatening your brother with a false allegation of sexual abuse as a child is a far different matter. She lied about her life and never mentioned sexual abuse until she faced exposure as a fraud on her new television show in the 1970's. It would surprise no one that such a vile person would do anything to prevent being exposed as a pretendian.

Wish Buffy had just made a real apology, that although she has no indigenous blood, she has always been a good ally and friend highlighting indigenous issues when it was very unpopular to do this. Maybe a wish to be seen as more than a friend led her to lie about her heritage.

This is equivalent to finding out Oprah Winfrey isn't black or Ellen isn't really gay. Serious stuff

I agree fully with the guest. I’m so full of disgust, and she says she doesn’t owe any apologies.

HG Tudor’s channel has an excellent profile of Buffy Sainte Marie. Well worth checking out.

Her lies have only tarnished her reputation. She will still be loved and admired by her adoring fans and that's all she cares about. The heck with the mental health of the indigenous people she has harmed...

Leonardo Dicaprio brought attention to the indigenous people. He doesn't walk around in Indigenous traditional clothing. She did it for fame. Not for the people. I am glad she lived to see this day. She must be what 82? But then again. Who knows she lies so dam much.

Canadian government should be ashamed too! Shows how how much they care!

Her own son has been saying it for yrs it seems. Buffy broke hearts and I don't think she has any honor sadly

Thank you Rhonda. Very sad.

Even if she was accepted by a Cree family doesn’t undo the claim to be part of the sixties scoop, while being born in 1941. Her lies go against the teachings, remember truth,, the turtle. I believe she should return all accolades and awards if she truly follows the teachings.

Well said Rhonda.

My siblings were adopted into white families, they also had new birth certificates done up with new birthdays. In the sixties my mother had the original copies. They found us 10 years ago now and everyone looks aboriginal. No denying their background ❤

You know, I don't care what her actual ethnic group is. Her songs touch my heart. When I was younger I wanted to be native and I told everyone I was. Wrong, yes but end of the world stuff, no