Buffy Sainte-Marie Defends Indigenous Ancestry Amid Controversy

Singer and activist refutes claims of fabricated heritage following CBC investigation.

Buffy Sainte-Marie, a singer and activist, has defended herself against allegations that she falsely claimed to be Indigenous, stating that she has never lied about her identity.
An investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) suggested that Sainte-Marie, who claimed she was born in Canada’s Piapot First Nation, fabricated details about her heritage throughout her career.
The CBC investigation included a birth certificate indicating that Sainte-Marie was born as Beverly Jean Santamaria to parents Albert and Winifred Santamaria in Massachusetts, who were listed as white in the birth records.
Sainte-Marie has repeatedly claimed that she was adopted by the Santamarias and had no information about her birth parents, other than the fact that they had Indigenous ancestry.
The controversy over Sainte-Marie's ancestry has sparked backlash, with the Indigenous Women’s Collective criticizing the recent Emmy win for the documentary “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On”.