Defining Indigeneity: The Problem with Buffy Sainte-Marie 

As a non-indigenous ally, I can understand why Buffy wanted to be Cree. Their culture makes more sense to me than my own. But for all the good she did, and she did do some good, she also hurt people. My own opinion is that she did it all for fame and money. She used the Piapot Cree to build her "legend". At 83 she's living in Hawaii, not Piapot. That says a great deal.

She was born in the USA to Caucasian parents. She lied about being adopted. She lied about not knowing where her birth certificate was or where she was born. She lied about being born an indigenous person. She is a fraud and the saddest part is it was entirely unnecessary. She is talented. She could have spoken out for indigenous rights no matter her heritage. The FACT that she chose to portray herself as something she wasn't and took accolades and opportunities away from ACTUAL indigenous people is utterly reprehensible and just gross.

As a Black woman, I found out I was part Native after my DNA test results came back. All Buffy has to do is check her blood and publish the results.

Who is this guy? Wow!! Such a thoughtful, compassionate, balanced analysis of what must be a deeply painful topic across indigenous communities. I've learned a lot from this. Thank you!

The dishonesty and lies could have been avoided, and she could still have been a great spokesperson for indigenous people, just by connecting and being adopted as an adult. So many people are broken hearted by this betrayal, so she has harmed many besides the people that lost opportunity. She made some really bad choices.

I also want to say: I think it's very thoughtful of indigenous folks to consider grace for Buffy in light of her good works and also to think meaningfully about sovereignty and who gets to decide who is indigenous. But fakirs like Beverly Santa Maria, who not only lied to gain acceptance but threatened her own biological family with heinous allegations for exposing her, will be weaponized against indigenous communities and contribute to things like Scoop denialism. The truth matters and eroding the truth at its edges eventually leads to decay of the core.

To the people who are defending her, please stop. There is no excuse for her lying. Good grief, in a world where you can't dress up for Halloween as someone from another culture, how can you defend someone stealing it permanently? She deserves to be called out for her lies and she needs to apologise. Wrong is wrong, there are no shades of grey here.

Thank you so much for your excellent video. As a 63 year old indigenous woman, I grew up loving and idolizing Buffy. I cannot lie when I say the truth, as we know it, being ripped out of our heart hurts. I feel shock, hurt, confused, angry, and sad all at the same time. I also feel very sad and sorry for her. I won’t try to pretend to understand why she did what she did. I’m not making excuses for her. But I will always be deeply grateful for all the good she has done for indigenous people for many, many years. Buffy was on the front lines when it was very dangerous to be native in North America. She used her celebrity for justice and bringing many truths to the public, all the while hiding behind a lie. She took a lot of risks when we didn’t, or couldn’t. I know this is hard for most of the world to understand how this is dividing Indian country. Still, I will always love Buffy, I forgive, even though I cry. Only Creator can judge you.

This is the best, most nuanced and compassionate response I have seen. Thank you very much.

So calm, so deliberate, delivered with warmth and understanding and respect, but also with heartfelt honesty. This is probably the best video I've seen of a highly polarized and controversial subject -- not just on this particular subject of Buffy, but on any subject. So much can be learned from this video. Thanks Anton.

I'm so glad you spoke to this, Anton. I highly respect you as someone who walks the talk of Anishinaabe values like respect, kindness, and humility. Also, I respect your academic mind and work. This has been really hard to think about. So many of us have loved Buffy as "one of ours" and to realize we've been deceived is painful. Thank you for sharing your wise and compassionate thoughts and wisdom on this issue.

If only BSM had picked a story and stuck with it, we might not be having this conversation. To be described as Algonquin in one article, Micmac (with a Micmac name) in another article and then Cree, by the end of the same year, is going to raise some questions. For her to say now that she doesn't know who she is after spinning tales of being part of the "big scoop" (her words), having a mother who was killed in a car accident, a mother who couldn't take care of her, born in Maine, born in Saskatchewan. The explanation I come up with is that she could never have foreseen the day when newspaper archives would be digitized and available to anyone (with a subscription) who has a phone or computer. Correction, Anton - Buffy's sister did a dna test with Ancestry, not sure about 23andme. It's been said in comments on other videos that BSM's son has also done a test. I can't speak to that but I have seen a comment on sister's FB profile where she's talking about her dna test and telling Cody to do one, also saying Buffy never will (this was several years ago - way before any of this came out).

Love the analytical and dispassionate, yet empathic take on the matter. Kiitos!

You are so articulate and laid this out so well. Thank you! I am white Canadian male and Buffy's appearance on Sesame Street when I was a child - I lived in a small northern Alberta town at the time, shaped my consciousness around indigenous issues. That is a positive thing. She raising mainstream awareness in the role we play in indigenous genocide. While I respect her adoption into the Piapot Cree nation. That was post birth. I am devastated that the first person on Sesame Street was lying about her biological roots. I feel for her biological family as she threatened them with legal action. I feel for everyone hurt by this. I never saw this coming. I feel she needs to stop saying her mother slept on the other side of the blanket, a new narrative to get her out of this situation, and take a DNA test. Ironic how she is now connected to Saskatchewan. Where Joni Michel was born. A real Canadian folksingers.

Buffy appropriated the Cree identity to her benefit and hers alone. She may have done good, but to keep up with the persona of being Cree, she had to play the part and was the only one who benefitted the most from that good. She is no different than a settler who appropriates land and resources for their benefit despite who the land and resources originally belonged to. As a Canadian non-indigenous woman, her story floored me on so many levels. All the Canadian awards, along with the Order of Canada should be returned. She did not honestly earn them. Her silence and not clearing the air speaks volumes.

I'm anishinaabekwe, removed from culture and urbanized. Grew up in Ontario with my white mom, as my dad was pretty violent so she had to leave. Reconnecting with who I am and where I come from, culturally and spiritually, has been a real struggle. I feel so much like an imposter or like I shouldn't belong, even though I know I do. I went for my naming ceremony last year. I know where I come from, but I don't know where I belong

The problem is that she threatened her own family with lawsuits if they exposed her true identity. She’s a scumbag for doing that.

HOW COULD SHE BE 60'S SCOOP WHEN SHE WAS BORN IN 1941

Thank you for your wisdom. I was waiting for your video. As a 60's scoop child who grew up in a white world, I can't fathom someone like Buffy who grew up in a white household perpetrating this lie for so long. My mind was blown when I heard it.

Although she has been an IP advocate, she has done a lot of harm. I'm an actual '60s Baby Scoop era adoptee, so she has indirectly misrepresented me as well. I cannot imagine the emotional abuse and harm she has caused her family of origin and her *honorific* Cree / Indigenous 'family' who welcomed her. We are all absolutely free to resonate with whatever culture / beliefs / societal groups we so choose, but to pretend to be anything is next level. Hard to know where the line is in terms of her knowingly lying vs. outright delusion, but that's for the psychologists of the future. Truth Matters.

Being local, I know the name, but have never seen you on YT. Watching the Fifth Estate documentary is bringing up anything Buffy related and I’ve watched many of them. You offer the most reasoned background & thoughts I’ve heard on it, incredibly well spoken, new subscriber here.

Meanwhile, real Canadian Indians have to prove that we are Indian so we can be issued a "status" card to prove that we are Indian. There is a blood quantum aspect to Indian identity. So not only did she bamboozle everyone on the Indian identity, she got away for decades saying she is Canadian. She received the Order of Canada. How is it that the Canadian government did not catch this at that time? It's hard to believe that she pulled this off for decades and no one caught it until now.

When you see the old film recordings of Buffy's family life , you can see how much she looks like her mother and even her brother as a kid. It's remarkable. Shame on you BSM

My great great grandmother was Iroquois from upstate New York . This made my grandmother 1/4 native . Which makes me 1/16 . I would never consider myself Native American . I was raised around my great grandmother who was half. I have great respect for this part of my family . I look at it as part of my DNA mix that makes me and my family who we are today .

I was miss labeled on my adoption papers I was called Métis. My adoptive father is a RedRiver Métis so I was raised as one. I’ve found my biological mother and I do not have ties to RedRiver so I do not feel comfortable calling myself Métis. My biological mother just got her status through our tribe my grandmother lost her status when she married my grandpa a white man. It took my biological mother and her sibling decades to get their recognition. Buffy should be no different she need to prove it.

I can't say why, but i was always sus about her. Maybe it was the pearly Hollywood smile? Maybe it was the emphatic "I am Native" attitude, hidden within the "i'm going to teach the (Sesame Street) children," I can't put my finger on it... I have met her personally and have friends in my community who have known her for decades. The reaction to this revelation about her is, "she's a nice person." I think we have a different definition of "nice."

Niawen'kowa for your lucid, precise and compassionate introduction to the political, biological and cultural problems surrounding Indigenous identity. As a matrilineal descendent of Canadian Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) woman who married out to a Quebecois man, I've been written off the Canadian Tribal roles. My ancestors unfortunately relocated to Chicago that had banished all the Potawatomi and so to survive passed themselves off not as Native and not as Quebecois but French. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I have been able to track down cousins, great aunts, records and STORIES of my Native family. We were also able to share our sorrows of multigenerational suffering and trauma. For too long it was not safe to be honest about who we are. This in turn led to the suppression of many feelings and the chaotic behaviors that come from fear. What really angers and hurts me about Buffy Santamaria is her trivialization of our identity. We are not a piece of clothing to be bought or sold ... or thrown away. I have known my identity from my earliest childhood and beheld the incredible embroidery that the Native women of my family made, including garments that took a year to make. Everyday I cannot forget who I am and I cannot be too grateful for the courage that four generations of my Elders exhibited. For 120 years and to the point of death and isolation, they kept us alive. We need to not only reveal the pretenders, the latest form of Colonial abuse, but also move forward. Like you advocate so well, we need to heal and restore the hearts of Native People who feel forgotten in the NDN Urban Diaspora. We are still here. Ehtho Niiotonhakne Onkwa Nikonra -- Now Let Our Minds Be One. A'o.

Love your take on this issue...I am so irritated by people try to defend her actions by saying "she has done a lot for the indigenous people" but ignore the fact that she LIED and robbed true natives..sorry for my little rant...lol

The saddest thing about the Buffy situation is the division among indigenous peoples about the pretendian situation.

When her story was told by the CBC, some indigenous elders and reporters called that report one sided and failed to hit their mark. They called the report mean spirited. When the letter was read out how she threatened her brother with HER sexual assault , and HER father with being a pedophile, I lost all respect for her. Right then and there when she threw down her ACE card of sexual abuse and pedophilia, she won, because then they backed off. She would have gone to the mat to crush her blood family for telling the truth, amid her many lies and deceptions. You knew right then and there that her fraud was up and she had been outed. Her savvy lawyers did her dirty work and added her personal letters to her family members. She thinks she will have the last word, but the story is out there, and her epitaph when she dies will read how she was so good and loving. The rest of the world will know she was a pretendian, plain and simple. I have no stomach for a woman who would use the sexual abuse card to shut someone up. That is evil to the core.

Terrific explanation, thanks. And you are right, the bottom line is that she is not just not transparent….she lied. She stole opportunities from other people. She is a big disappointment because as a Canadian I thought she was one of us but she’s just another fake.

In Canada up until 1985 Indigenous women who married White men lost their status therefore could not live on a Reservation, but when an Indigenous man married a White woman she gained status and could live on Reservation land. Which is why Bill C-31 was amended in 1985.

Buffy stated many many many times over the years that she was born indigenous, not just adopted into it. She stated where she was born, she talked about her birth mother, so she lied period. She has been a hero to me since 1966 when I was 14. I am shocked and disappointed that she kept up this lie for so long. It is a shame that she doesn't come clean now. And that she threatened her own biological brother with spurious accusations of sexual abuse if he continued to "out" her makes her vile in my opinion. Her biological sister took a DNA test and is closely related to Buffy's only child, her son...so her biological make up is of no question.

Chi Miigwech for this excellent video you made. BTW..I am a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe who happens to reside in the state of Georgia. There are not many too Native Americans here in my state because of actions of President Andrew Jackson in the early 1800s. I get really sad when, I hear about the "Trail of Tears". It breaks my heart and makes me cry a lot on the inside and sometime outside. I think about all the Creeks and Cherokees who used to live here and it makes me SO sad. I live in the lands of the Southern Indian Nations so, I always stand with them and defend them. I fully support the Cherokees in Western North Carolina, The Creek nation in Lower Alabama, and the mighty Florida Seminole Nation in South Florida, and of course our nation. :) My lifelond dream of mine is just going and seeing the Florida Seminoles in South Florida. The first Native American movie, I ever saw was Joe Panther in 1976. Seeing people like me in the swamps and with alligators around them made me cry as an 8 year old. I know right then when, I saw Big Cypress on the movie screen it was a very special place. I want to work for the Florida Seminoles so badly. Heck in any capacity. I have always admired the Florida Seminoles and their leader Chief Osceola. Reading his life story as a young lad inspired me to join the US Air Force and make it a 20 and half year career. I have lived all around the world and many places in the USA. Medically, I am very well taken of by the US Government and such. In my military career, I only met about 10 Native Americans or so. I always took care of them in whatever capacity, I could. I made a young Navajo Marine cry when I was in Hawaii. He stepped into my office and needed a new ID Card. I knew he was one of us just looking at him and he knew I was one too by the way by the way I looked. It was a funny moment in the life of a military. BTW..I gave this young Marine the Senior Officer treatment. I took care of him MOST quickly and quite professional. He was probably VERY impressed with his service today. He was probably laughing on the inside when he saw an E-6 acting like one of him. Well, time for me to depart from here.

Gunalchéesh! Thank you. Yours is the first commentary I've seen that lays it all out for everyone to begin to understand. And thank you most deeply for speaking up for us adoptees, for whom Buffy's life story was an inspiration and a beacon to our own "Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan", a journey many of us must undertake all alone. I was adopted as an infant, and I declare that my life, separate and disconnected, is as authentic as any. I like to imagine what it would be like for high-powered investigators to devote as much effort to finding snd rematriating lost relatives as they do to exposing fake ones.

Buffy played her role very well...Great for her Ego!

Her awards should go to the next runners up for justice to be served, consequences for behaviour as well as forgiveness

As a latinamerican (AKA "hispanic/latino"), I feel this discussion has a lot to do with us. Whenever a "latino" claims indigeneity in Northamerica (not that they want to claim to be "native americans!"), they are labled by tribal members as wabbos and even pretendians. But northern Americans have little to no idea of the complexity of latinamerican history or even what the population of Latinamerican countries is, let alone the social system of ethnic "castas" that was imposed since the invasion of the continents. In this description I am leaving out the afrolatino population, bc its presence is regionally limited and they are a minority. I am focusing on the population of Colombia, which is my country, to show just an example of the complexity of this problem. Besides the 45 millions full blooded and practicing indigenous people of the rest of the Americas who speak nearly 1000 languages and who managed to flee colonization and resist, almost everyone in Latinamerica has indigenous ancestry which can vary from few% to 100%. In places like Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala the presence of indigenous gens in the general populatiion is extremely high, with many of these "latinos" actually being accultured indigenous. In places like Colombia, Venezuela and Chile the average amount of bloodquantum is definetly higher than 25%. The case of Colombia in particular is 50% 50%, but this can vary from region to region (with some places with 100%, >60%., ) also with family history. Besides the medieval spaniards (men) that came in the XVI C, Colombia has had very little communities of newcomers. They have joined the industrial, intellectual and poiticall elite of the country and have had 0 impact on the demographics. DNA shows that average Colombians have a european paternal element and an indigenous maternal DNA and this confirms history: our ancestors were spaniards menthat "took" indigenous women (how much of these admixture was really wanted?). Colombians are mostly admixed people who were raised by indigenous mothers whose tribes had been structurally destroyed and whose culture, "religion" and language had been prohibited (remember inquisition?). The result is that culture in Colombia, which is essencially a forcefully displaced rural society, has a particular flavor which completely differs from "spanish" culture. Besides, more often than not you will find some physical features that also show indigenous ancestry (dark hair, skin color, high cheek bones almost always eyes). We are by far no "hispanics", we are spanish-speakers. And even if Colombians insist in calling themselves "mestizos", because saying you are indigenous means you are lowest in the social pyramid, we have nothing to do with Spain and this, you can experience that when you live in Europe. So, is it not legit that a latinameeican, e.g. an average Colombian identifies with their indigenous part? Who has the authority to decide? What about our ancestors whose land, culture, language was taken away from them? What about forced admixture? Our people are not here to claim us, bc there was an physical and cultural g3nocide here!! But our ancestors were real. It is writen in our DNA and on our lovely indigenous faces. EDIT: By claiming indigeneity I don't mean to go around representing yourself as an indigenous, but rather to adknowledge you are of indigenous descent and to try to discover who your ancestors were. Being indigenous in Colombia, for example, is an official status that recognizes you as an individual belonging to an ethnic minority of a selfrecognizing indigenous community which is historically bound to a territory (resguardo) and has legal autonomy before the colombian law.

The fact that she knew her Italian ethnicity looked Indigenous, and never let anyone know otherwise, shows she knew the scam she was pulling. 😂😢

Wow, this is the most rational, articulate analysis of the BSM situation. Her story has changed many times over the years. If , as you said, if she insists on claiming biological indigeneity, she can take the test and live with the results. Seriously, I doubt that will happen.

Excellent video and presentation, well thought out and an intelligent approach. The native speakers on this issue in the last week, that I have seen, are taking it as a serious and important item that is being treated in a scholarly way. Buffy Ste Marie was being talked about as non-Indian in the Toronto scene back in the early 70's, when I lived there. This is an issue with decades of history. The reason is was so well suppressed, I believe , is the use of lawyers and letters to suppress anyone who in any way threatened the flow of money and fame. This will not end well for her.

Excellent message. Thank you. We're all human and we make mistakes. With a lie as public and as lucrative as hers, throughout her life it would have been easy to just keep riding that train, and increasingly difficult to admit that it was terribly unfair but it got out of control. Still, with age, we do sometimes also see how unimportant our own gains and advantages are compared to the impact they've had on others. We might even see that justifying it with whatever good we were trying to accomplish, it's still based on lies. I hope Ms. Sainte-Marie sees this and thinks about making a sincere and heartfelt apology. Before she ends up leaving this world, as we all eventually do.

Perfectly said. She accepted accolades that should have gone to others. There are and were few enough opportunities for actual Indigenous and to have them minimized further by her lies.

I wished I was Native, too, when I was a young Hippie. She got to play dress up, big time, no expense spared, for 60 years, smh.

I went to a concert she gave on our reserve back in the late seventies. I can only say that everything she did made me feel chringe.I felt her message was forced and wasn't sincere .She tells us to ask our ancestors for guidance. Maybe she should do the same.

Thank you for the measured and articulate laying out of the context around Buffy Santie-Marie's situation. She seems to have made a very misguided choice as a young and ambitious artist and in those times was able to get away with the deception for a long time. It's quite incredible, the way she made up the simple story and then went on to increasingly embrace and embellish it, going on to be adopted by the Cree community and becoming an advocate for Indigenous issues. I wonder if she lived in fear as time went on, the Internet and outing of fraudsters became common....yet she made it to her 80s and still her secret seemed safe. And now this is going to be her story and legacy, at this final stage of life. My god, I actually pity her for that.

Articulate, calm, informative, informed, educational and thought provocative video of Professor Anton Treuer.

I find it hilarious that tonight on my local PBS channel, American Masters is going to air "Carry It On," a Bluffy documentary. PBS is forever pathetically bumming for financial support as it is. Lol.

Robert De nitro or Decaprio, these great people have been magnificent supporters of First Nations peoples, they didn’t feel the need to betray us in claiming to be First Nations.

A very impressive reflection on this issue. There has been so much meandering verbiage and obfuscation by those who should be holding Buffy accountable that it is refreshing to encounter some serious and objective commentary..

I'm Scottish , clan Robertson via my grandmother (fathers side) My mother was German and her father was Danish. I desperately want to claim Viking heritage but without proof I obviously can't . My situation is different. It doesn't have the same emotional impact . I was such a fan of Buffy.I am so sorry this happened.

I am biologically indigenous, however I am not eligible for enrollment in either of my tribes. Oglala Lakota, and Onieda, Turtle Clan. My mother was enrolled in both tribes but she married a white man (my dad). I often don't feel indigenous enough and feel like an outsider who doesn't belong. However, my spirit feels native and I research and learn my cultures on my own.

Thank you. I’ve enjoyed listening to Buffy St. Marie most of my life and to find out that she’s a liar and a pretendian actually hurts which seems kind of surprising to me. Your presentation helps bring all this into focus and I appreciate it very much.

Really compelling information here about the different ways a non-native can or could acquire native citizenship. I’d never heard of any of this, but it’s helpful to learn that, as usual, life is much more complex than either/or black or white. So thanks, Anton. You taught me a lot.

As always, thank you, Anton Treuer. This is a complicated topic, and just like your book(s), you’ve done a great job explaining the various complicated aspects, then provided a very thoughtful perspective and overview of the particular Buffy Sainte-Marie situation. Miigwech, from an aspiring ally 🙏

I had to pause at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="56">00:56</a> to subscribe and like, already. Though it feels a tad like making a new friend at deceased friend’s funeral, Buffy’s recent news has brought me the gift of Creators previously unknown. 🙏🏽✌🏽❤️ from Minnesota

A trickster adopted into the clan. A tale old as time.

I don’t want to assume how her facade started and her motives, I just hope she takes accountability, makes an effort to make things right wherever possible, and continues to be an ally. I hope she has done more good than harm at least.

I am Latina biologically I have Spanish Portuguese and indigenous South American. I am a blue eyed red head. Now I’ve confirmed my biological dna with various tests. But I’m always hesitant to be open publicly about my South American indigenous roots because I get so much criticism that I dont look indigenous and get treated like a pretendían by North American indigenous people. I get criticized even claiming being Latina. I am very connected to my history and my culture. People don’t understand that genetic features is a crap shoot. My two brothers look very indigenous and my sister and myself look very Caucasian.

This was a fair and well thought out video. I cried when I heard about it last week. She walked the walk her entire life since the 1960s. She has given talent, money and heart and soul to indigenous events, charities, issues and education of non indigenous for years. I love 2 of her protest songs. My Country Tis of Thy People You're Dying, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Also think of the deep hurt she inflicted upon her birth/Causcian family that she basically rejected.

I think you got the Canadian status part wrong. From Bob Joseph's excellent blog (note that I'm directly quoting): Indian Act policies subjected generations of Indian women and their children to a legacy of discrimination when it was first enacted in 1876 and continues to do so today despite amendments. Federal law in the late 1800s that defined a status Indian solely on the basis of paternal lineage - an Indian was a male Indian, the wife of a male Indian, or the child of a male Indian - continues to be a quagmire of discrimination and disrespect towards women.

I was shocked by this and it's very sad. That she won't take a DNA test doesn't help. I always had a crush on her growing up.

Thanks for the education about recognition in Canada--I always wondered why so many non-native looking people were able to claim status in that country. As for BSM, I was never a fan and when first introduced to her as a native american artist by friends from Keweenaw Bay Indian Community I was sus from the get go. But I grew up in the 60s/70s and there were lots of musicians/actors putting on native pretenses as part of the hippie scene. One big name in this category that comes to mind is Cher. Anywho, I am not upset so much about BSM lies mainly because I am not surprised and was not a fan. However the treatment of her own family exposed through all this clearly indicates she's an awful person. Rather, I am upset because I am/was a big fan of Kelly Fraser. And for her to lose out on recognition because of a poser is truly galling and tragic.

As kids in the fifties playing cowboys and Indians we’d dress up as Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy or Roy Rogers. There was also a comic book at the time called Straight Arrow the hero and name of the white child raised by an Indian tribe. The way they dressed looked really cool and I liked to be him. Buffy Sainte Marie might have experienced the same thing and never grew out of it. Throughout the rebellious sixties young people also looked towards Hinduism and the Hari Krishna movement and wanted to identify with it. I remember a Hindu academic whose name I thought was something like Nardram Sardray saying this about the dress imitating. “ You’re born a Hindu you don’t become one dressing like one” and “Take on those beliefs in your own culture”. Yes I think Buffy Sainte Marie started out thinking it was a cool look and then wanted to claim a connection. This is not to say one way or the other that she hasn’t genuinely adopted an empathy for the causes she champions just that it may not have started that way. Given the lies about this is enough to dismiss her angry revengeful public slander towards her brother.

Kudos to you, Prof Treuer, for being willing to address the touchy subject of the identity-politics that we live with.

Thank you for this incredibly informative explanation of this situation. I'm a white Canadian, so my understanding of much of the "qualifications" of indigenous status are limited, so the beginning of this video really explained so much for me. I don't think my opinion matters much here, so I'm going to keep it to myself, but it breaks my heart how much the indigenous community has been broken apart by this, and I hope there can some kind of truth and togetherness found here somewhere in the end.

I hate that so many people have trouble just being happy with themselves

I`m from the UK so have a slim grasp of some of the issues here however your explanation was ,I thought ,both measured and informative. Why am I watching? Well I only learned about the situation re Buffy Sainte Marie recently and was shocked .Back in the seventies I met her briefly whilst working on a music event and found her both delightful and funny. Its hard to imagine that she could have been so deceitful all these years .

Thank you for so eloquently explaining this. Very well spoken and gently presented!

Ward Churchill was one of the pretendians who was popular during my earlier days also had much influence during the AIM movement.

I don’t know much about Indigenous matters, despite living in Canada for 25 years (I’m 30 now) and I learned so much from this video. The Buffy Saint Claire situation has captivated my attention and I was curious about why the topic was so decisive among the Indigenous community and you have educated me a lot! You’re a great speaker and very articulate. Subscribed ✅

I’m a white woman who had alot of indigenous friends when I lived in Edmonton Alberta, I just don’t get why people lie and pretend to be something they’re not !

Thank you for your kind, clear, in depth discussion. I deeply appreciate you giving this your thorough attention and helping elucidate this complex issue.

Interesting and well expressed, Anton. From what I've read elsewhere, only Buffy's father was of Italian ancestry, her mother being of English stock. Also, her father, not Buffy, changed their Italian surname to the French equivalent.

Very informative. It would be interesting to see a video from you speaking on the gatekeeping and inclusion under definitions of indigeneity of Latin American Mestizos (like the majority of Mexicans) by US & Canadian tribal members, who themselves are often also effectively "Mestizos," both biologically and yes, culturally, all of the above being an effect of colonial pressures. Also the relationship between Mestizos Latinos and Indigenous communities in LatAm, and how colonial policies affected that. Thank you if you decide to tackle all that!

She kind of Milli Vanilled her audience. She is an entertainer. Turns out that "being FN" was her schtick. I find it odd that nobody exposed this years ago. She has a family that she seems to have not only turned her back on but possibly slandered and blackmailed . Sadly, instead of the positive things she has accomplished, her decades long ruse may be her legacy.

WHY DOESN'T BUFFY JUST TELL THE PEOPLE THAT SHE KNEW SHE'S WAS WHITE AND SHE THOUGHT IF SHE WOULD SAY SHE WAS TREATY FROM CANADA SHE WOULD MAKE IT AS A ARTIST.

I glad to hear Anton Treuer speak about this matter.

Thank you, this was the most brilliant talk on the issue of defining indigeneity I have heard. You have articulated a lot of the limits and contradictions that are inherent when we adhere strictly to a political definition, while also reminding us about the importance of representation, including or especially by authentic indigenous people. Every time someone I like gets outed as a pretendian, it is somewhat painful (not so much when it happens to people I don't like, haha). It's taking me a bit of time to digest the news about Buffy... While I understand why you have focused on Canada and the United States only, it must be added that many people who are increasingly defining themselves as indigenous, at least in the U.S., have roots in Mexico. Many are biologically indigenous while others are partially indigenous, according to DNA testing (I belong to the latter group, but for political reasons and my personal need to remain honest about who I am, I prefer to refer to myself as a mestiza). While they are generally not members of of any American tribe, this growing group of people who identify as indigenous are technically part of North America. In the future, this will add another complex layer to the question of who deserves to be called indigenous, I think.

Enjoyed your feedback on the subject. I find it a very complicated situation not only for Buffy but for all who appreciated and supported her work. For me personally as a former singer/song writer, I think she is very talented however, I question whether or not she'd of had as many "opportunities" without the indigenous claims? And I'm torn with regards to her awards because, while I believe she earned them, she earned them under false pretense. I liken it to Milli Vanilli, performing songs they weren't singing. She wrote about and supported the indignities of the ppl without every having lived it. So, as a writer, I don't know how I feel about that because that's what we do as writers. We write about our "lived" experiences and how we feel about it. She's writing about a culture she adopted for what appears to be for her own personal gain. She capitalized on the stories of others to further solidify herself as a "voice of the ppl". Look, we all make mistakes, we're all human, but, we also have a responsibility to walk a path of truth, and dignity. Our words are our truths and how we use them matters. And while I think her music helped make a huge impact, she really didn't have the right to represent ppl under false pretense. I think in the beginning, she seized an opportunity and ran with it. However, I'd like to believe as the years passed, she finally found the deep rooted connections she had yearned for and wanted to return her gratitude. And she did that by bringing awareness through her songs. And I think if she came clean and expressed that? The people would accept her misgivings and mistakes. Sometimes we start out in bad places only to do good things. Sometimes it's the opposite. I think it's a difficult predicament for everyone to be in and I hope if she truly loves the ppl, she will tell the truth and ask for forgiveness. Whether or not that happens, remains to be seen.

OMG! It's professor Treuer. I thought I heard him speak the Ojibwe language. I haven't seen him online for a while. So great to see him.

I really do appreciate your reasonable, nuanced approach to all the facets of indigenous identity. Buffy has done something truly ugly, stepping on and pushing aside the very people she claims to care about so much. Abandoning her own family while being adopted by another under the most false pretenses--- imagine lying to someone who lost their child. It almost seems like she created her life story out of patchworking together bits and details from actual scoop survivors, other people's experiences. The irony of her name being Santa Maria is just icing on this crap cake

You sound like such a kind and compassionate man. While you and I may not be affected by this revelation, I have seen some Native women who were fans all through their life who were hurt by their former role model’s lies. Buffy is a very talented lady but let this be a reminder to us, how a lie can blow up in our faces and hurt a lot of people.

Regarding Buffy: Just because a lie / fraud was perpetuated for a long time doesn't mean its should be acceptable. It was a lie! The evidence is there. Some people defending her seem to miss that point. It's sad people are okay with that. I'm for forgiveness .However she needs to come clean an apologize and give back her awards, but it seems she is stubbornly believing her owns lies. Native Leaders of Canada should say something .

The background information you provided was very interesting and I want to thank you for clarifying the picture. My cousin is researching a possible Lumbee Indian connection (there's a surname that my grandmother had which is extremely common in that region where her ancestors came from) and so that information you provided was good to know.

Thank you for sharing. I think you articulated really well a lot of the complexities of these issues 👏🏼

This was very well stated and I really appreciate learning all the ways a person can be considered indigenous. It was very eye opening. I do agree with the final conclusion that she did lie and should be held accountable.

ALL Canadian awards need to returned…Order of Canada rescinded. Period 🇨🇦🇨🇦

She knows EXACTLY where she is from. She just doesn't know who she is. Opposite of her statement "i dont know where I'm from but i know who i am".

When someone lies about their ancestry repeatedly, threatens family members from disclosing, and profits for years from this abuse, there is far more going on with their mental health than just being a grifter.

May I please add a correction. In Canada you must prove blood heritage. Eligibility is based on descent in one's family. A person may be eligible for status if at least one parent is, was or was entitled to be registered as 6(1). A person is also eligible if two parents are registered as 6(2).

Good explanation, I think in the United States especially we have a lot of confusion about what defines indigeneity because of the strict political definition.

Thank you so much Anton for giving such a clear and mindful message. I am listening and I am open to learning. I really appreciate your thoughts and I hope for healing within the community.

Excellent chat. Thanks for taking the time to organize your insight and present it to us so eloquently. You raise many really important issues that now must be the focus of further discussion. It's so important to continue to have conversations, learn, and to listen to each other. Maybe that is the silver lining here. Please let's not sink into judgement and harsh opinions on this particular subject. This situation is complicated, with exceptions such as the story the DNA tells, and certainly the important point of benefiting and effectively taking attention and support away from those to which it should have gone. We can't change history, but we can learn and apply the lessons going forward. Let's all put our attention on improving the future for all of us by acknowledging and listening.

I appreciate your perspective and I agree with and share your values. Thank you for your thoughts.

Thank you for your thoughtful and measured approach to this heartbreaking situation.

Miigwech for such an honest, insightful and articulated breakdown of Defining what is Indigeneity. Its been a extremely reflective time regarding all the matter in which you shared. Keep moving forward with your very interesting lens. Baamaapii, we will see you again.

Thank you for your clarity! I'm German and "only an ally" of indigenous concerns and probably not knowing a lot I'd know if I lived in America. If Buffy really lied it is definitely bad behavior and harms many people, though I would like to know more about her reasons - there must be some strong ones if she really turned away from her biological family in such way. My question is: People accuse her of having used her lie for her career - but how does that go with what is often said, that artists from indigenous decent had/have a lot of difficulties and only little chance to become popular and successful because of their origin? Wouldn't it have maybe been easier for her without her lie, 60 years ago?

Another thought: to be “adopted” legally, the biological parents would need to relinquish parental rights. Pretty sure this didn’t happen. Buffy S.-Marie is clearly a case of appropriation for financial gain.