Effects of investigation into Buffy Sainte-Marie’s roots continue to reverberate | Truth & Politics

Last week, CBC's Fifth Estate unearthed a birth certificate from Massachusetts that cast doubt on Buffy Sainte-Marie’s claims of being adopted and whether or not she is Indigenous.
Our Truth and Politics panel weighs in.
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[@olliverklozov2789]

Worse than any of the lies and identity theft for profit is the way she blackmailed her real family into silence by threatening not only lawsuits but with the threat of destroying her brother's reputation with heinous accusations of sexual deviancy. She is a monster who knew exactly how to go for the jugular. Believe all women? I believe the man's daughter. Fake accusations like these are why so many true victims are not always believed. That means she also betrayed ALL women.

[@terryjohnson3479]

Women have no loyalty and damn little honesty

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

Yes, but this need not cast shade on women's abuse survivors. This really need not be at all about gender issues.

[@terryjohnson3479]

@@chesterwilberforce9832 After the 50 year war on boys and men when will someone open one shelter for battered men somewhere in this country ? There are a couple thousand for women but not one for men. So shut up about abuse until you cover both sides of the story

[@shanevanc]

She did not write "aboriginal" music. She wrote pop songs. Her big hits were not stolen they were a product of her great talent. Damn sure she never stole any music from you

[@chrisl1414]

@@shanevanc Truthfulness is one major component of ethics and being ethical. Her many lies surrounding her ancestry is unethical, therefore she is unethical.

[@conjurebones]

She took up an indigenous space, and she threatened and accused her brother of the most horrible crimes. She's not only an appropriator, she's monstrous.

[@mercuryangel5632]

I agree, what she did to her brother is the issue she needs to address. It was monstrous!! That is even more disgusting than all her other lies.

[@barbiedueck2273]

Not to mention accusing her biologicalMother of “sleeping on the other side of the blanket” …after her Mother passed. She was very hurtful of her blood family as well of those who did suffer adoption… to white families. It’s been very disappointing to hear all her lies ..now

[@BananaJSSI]

She sure had us fooled for 6 decades

[@conjurebones]

@@BananaJSSI I was never a fan, I always thought she looked like she was covered in fake tan.

[@rccyberwarrior2267]

@@mercuryangel5632 What if she was actually molested?

[@mercuryangel5632]

For Pete"s sake, she isn't even Canadian and received awards that are for Canadians. She lied, period!!

[@Attmay]

She is of the tribe of Pinocchio.

[@raphaelandrews3617]

I think she suffer from a symptom of called self delusion psychosis.

[@lindanorris2455]

SO DOES US SENTATOR ELIZABETH WARREN ALL THE TIME!

[@Kieop]

@@lindanorris2455 Not the same.

[@KimNeville-vr8hn]

​@@lindanorris2455 Oh please! Apples to oranges 🙄

[@mayloo2137]

For me as a non-indigenous Canadian, the reality is Buffy Sainte-Marie lied about being Canadian and indigenous.

[@sdot5389]

Strip her of the Order of Canada, she’s illegible

[@frontlineobservationdeck2142]

She's not even Canadian - couldn't play her games in the USA - probably a narcissist - doesn't care who she hurts

[@obtuseangler768]

Good point May!

[@jarabaa]

Not only that, she has received many honours and decorations from Canada, as a Canadian. All of Canada, not just Indigenous nations, should be finding the CBC's (entirely responsible and warranted) disclosure of her fabrications upsetting and appalling.

[@marlene8344]

Who cares!

[@kmgreves]

another thing that just makes me sick is her using sexual abuse to threaten a man her brother to not talk about her lies ,, she lies

[@raph3156]

Its weird that she kept in close contact and relationship to her brother until the issue of her origins came into question...thats what's weirdest. I didn't keep in contact with my family once I realized what they had done to me or my youngest sister...no way.

[@davidrynberk1533]

The fact she was willing to accuse her brother of telling the truth of her actual identity tells you everything.

[@TemujinMSM]

I don't trust CBC at all

[@tailrj]

@@TemujinMSM She lied 🤥 wake up they investigated well and she never sang well to me; I always wondered about her screeching terrible voice bkz I never ever thought she was one of us! HURTFUL 😭😭😭

[@geinikan1kan]

@@TemujinMSM did you watch the doc? It was native reporters who raised red flags after a PBS doc on Sainte-Marie’s life.

[@cameronedwards3523]

I married a cree woman, my son is cree. My mother in law was in a residential school. That does not make me cree. That does not mean I went through what they have gone through. To pretend otherwise is just insane. Fraud is fraud and her actions are not acceptable.

[@roen6800]

Sorry, did you mean to say "that does NOT make me Cree"?

[@johngreystone]

She is Cree. Just because you married a Cree means nothing. You are a white oppressor. Stay in your lane and leave this to us

[@nickiewilson9134]

My G.G.Gram was a Chief's daughter from the Haida Gwaii, she survived to be the oldest native to die on Vancouver Island in 1931 at 104. My G.G.Gramps Captain James Douglas Warren's second marriage, he came from P.E.I. in 1858,he opened up the Trade Routes here to the Haida Gwaii. My Aunt Sarah Warren was a Matriarch of the Songhees, she was King and Queen Freezy G.grandaughter. She was the first person of The North People to win back the Right's for The Traditional Mask Dance in 1950. I grewup in Port Alberni during the 60's, went to school with many boarded out student's, even Chief Judith Sayers that told Trudeau off on the news for flying to Tofino on Truth and Reconciliation Day. I don't have any status even though ny ancestors are King and Queen Freezy, he signed the 12 infected H.B.C. Blankets with an X.

[@johngreystone]

@@nickiewilson9134 this ain’t about you 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤡

[@justinfowler5761]

​@@nickiewilson9134infected blankets?

[@vickielewallen3799]

The problem is accepting prestigious awards meant for Indigenous people, IF she is not one, and knew it.

[@johngreystone]

says the white oppressor 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@VernDeLaronde]

Kelly Fraser comes to mind! Would things have played out differently for her at the 2018 Junos.

[@Rayman1971]

Exactly. She lied different lies about her origin

[@techhie1302]

"IF" Says it all.

[@TippyCat-uf9gk]

@@techhie1302 sad 😭 started to find out about Kelly though this coming out. I went and looked at her stuff, it was so amazing her music really good, she was so pretty and talent,

[@nancykane6441]

She needs to do a DNA test. End of story. She has threatened her brother with sexual abuse charge. Is this delusion or a sociopathic personality? So disrespectful and disturbing.

[@mazymason4601]

Her son Cody has done one and he shares DNA with Buffy;s sister in Minnesota. I believe her niece as well.

[@Pkeats817]

@@mazymason4601Are the results posted somewhere?

[@starventure]

Not required. She self incriminated on so many occasions it is absurd. She never did anything to suppress her public records or vitals. The scam went on because she was ignorant of modern websites showing her past.

[@Attmay]

Back in the 60s, she probably had no idea how much easier computers and the Internet would soon make it to find public records. Did she have a birth announcement in the local newspaper? That would also corroborate the authenticity of the birth certificate.

[@starventure]

@@Attmay Haven't found one yet.

[@tailrj]

SHE NEEDS TO QUIT LYING 🤥 🤥 🤥

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

If she is a sociopath, she will never stop. And if she is a Narcissist, she will never admit.

[@lyudmylaporter9983]

@@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole pathological liars never admit the truth, they keep lying on their deathbed

[@nunayoorbidnez2119]

Buffy had attained sainthood in the art community, so it was very brave to openly question her roots. At this point, Buffy needs to submit to a DNA test. If she won't, it will be a clear admission of guilt.

[@Ozworldz]

There has been a DNA test. The Fifth Estate didn't bother to mention that. Buffy's sister is a match to Buffy's son. There's nothing questionable here. And her birth certificate is 100% authentic.

[@mkravec7943]

Many indigenous people do not like the idea of DNA tests, so when people take them to find out whether they have native roots, they might not find out.

[@conjurebones]

@@mkravec7943 A DNA test will show indigenous percentages whether people in the community have tested or not.

[@sandinielsen4401]

The journalist has a very important role, to expose the facts. They need to see both sides to give a balanced view. Look at photos from her youth and you can see the Mediterranean influence. Don't forget when she first hit the stage the world was more racist than now. Tell a story long enough and you will believe it. Poor lass, it appears she disowned her own culture and people and found herself singing another. So sad.

[@mazymason4601]

Her son Cody has taken one and he shares DNA with Buffy's sister from Minnesota

[@cheechalker8430]

I’m glad I grew up at a time when we called people like Buffy what they are - liars.

[@ziziscorsese9475]

Con-artist

[@janetscully3337]

This is a bigger issue than Cree or Indigenous people of origin or adoption. This is about one person's choosing to use the Native and Indigenous culture, heritage and history use it for a career springboard in Canada. Buffy lives in Hawaii not in Saskatchewan. Buffy gained plenty by crossing into Canada. The hurt she caused her real life born into family is hard to hear. She is a fraud irrelevant of her music and activism. She needs to own it. The Cree family is defending a person who is not real but a construct.

[@pernilla9831]

True!

[@SusanA1056]

The truths as I understand it, are that Buffy was adopted not as a baby but as an adult. So while she was growing up as a white American of Italian heritage child, she seems only to self identify as indigenous when it suited her. She wanted to get awards & probably felt she couldn't on her own rights so she changed her persona. She identifies as American to collect her pension (old age) and when she got married... so why change her identity to perform? I was scooped as a new born and my children were scooped. Our birth certificates remained the same but our parents names on our birth certificate were changed. So the fact that Buffy's birth certificate has the state and city in the US that would not have been changed. She wouldn't have both an American and a Canadian birth certificate. Also claiming to be part of the 60's scoop when she was born in 1941 is highly doubtful since the 60's scoop began in the late 50's. Can she sing, yes. Can she perform, yes. Is she talented, yes! Is she indigenous? No. Should she keep her awards meant only for indigenous performers and keep her order of Canada? HELL NO!

[@gamegreed9105]

Susan I agree with all you said however you actually could be worng about one thing apparently her son was DNA tested and he has native blood. Even if she dose have Native blood don't change the fact she was born in Massachusetts USA.

[@SusanA1056]

I don't know who Buffy's son's father is. If he is Indigenous then that could be where his son gets his indigenous blood from. Nobody has seen Buffy's DNA and the truth is, as far as most DNA ancestry heritage sites goes, most do not have samples of all First Nations. So many Indigenous peoples are told they are Eurpean descent which leaves out their indigenous heritage entirely. Most First nations warned their members not to take part when they asked for samples to create a data base.@@gamegreed9105

[@bootsiemon]

​@gamegreed9105 his father is native

[@johngreystone]

White people deciding what a native is 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦‍♂️Go back under you rock white opp😢

[@mayloo2137]

As a Canadian, I also feel she should return her Canadian awards.

[@chuknorth]

Shameful to point the finger at the CBC.

[@cdavidlake2]

That's the emerging narrative: Blame the media; ignore the substance of the actual allegations.

[@tamalebutt]

Cbc is a joke

[@ahill4642]

yeah, it’s a case of shooting the messenger

[@Thawk54]

Shoot the messenger.

[@rhaven50]

Cbc is nobodies friend

[@nunawatson4307]

Adoption doesn’t mean she is indigenous, she has no right to say she is First Nations

[@iara_pimenta]

She is not indigenous. She is a fraud, an impostor.

[@TemujinMSM]

I mean if she was adopted it sure explains why she looks Native. You don't see people claiming Kaepernick is actually white.

[@nji7772]

@@TemujinMSM She is Italian USA born in Mass. She looks Italian also FYI or maybe you have never lived around Sicilians. I don't know why most think all Italians and other Europeans" are white. That's just not true also.

[@marshhen]

There is no evidence whatsoever that she was adopted as a child. The opposite. Her birth at the hospital is well documented - her birth to an Italian-American woman whose photo as a senior - looks IDENTICAL to how Buffy looks now.

[@MICHAELASHER.]

​@@nji7772Italian, BS.

[@LLNYRN]

Honestly, As a 60-year old Black Male New Yorker, I'm still trying to figure out how a video about Buffy Sainte-Marie appeared on My KZbin feed page. But after watching that video, I decided to look for "THE FIFTH ESTATE" program. Watched it with fascination. Only to end up sadly saying, "WOW"! I fell in love with Sainte-Marie watching her on "SESAME STREET" as a kid. As I got older, listened to her Music, and followed her activism. But that was years ago for Me. Other than doing some community Radio work in Oregon during the 90s and having more contact with Indigenous Peeps in that state, than in New York, I ended up learning more about Native issues throughout The States. But of course, still having to deal with Black Issues here in The States. The whole Sainte-Marie scandal in shocking and a shame. I have no idea if she's totally delusional. Or purposely perpetrated a scam all these decades to benefit off Indigenous People and their issues. But here in The States, we have various Tribes here that have absolutely refused to acknowledge the Native Heritage of many Black Folks. But have welcome White (looking) folks who claim ancestry with "open arms". While many true Natives are still poor and living on reservations. Those are other aspects of all this that came to My mind historically. I also have to admit, I learned a new term today. "PRETENDIAN". Ouch. Fascinated, Shocked, and Sadden for someone of Sainte-Marie's iconic status. She's coming off like a larger scale Rachel Dolezal. And don't get Me started on her treatment of her own (WHITE) Family.

[@olivemarie5080]

👏👏👏

[@Paolo8772]

I'm feeling you. I also started watching her on Sesame Street as a 5 year old in late 1975. Just sad and shocking.

[@tomnelson203]

Really? Look at Buufy's face. Where the fug did she come from if not from an indigenous group in this country? Regardless of whether she was Apache Cree or Navaho, she's clearly from this land. She has done more for indigenous people as a voice shedding a light on their plight than anyone in the, but they're going to denegrate hef, and cancel her. How abismal. How shameful. Don't believe everything you read.

[@tailrj]

Look at the "Fifth Estate" the birth certificate says her parents are Italian American and she is NOT INDIGENOUS. She took away from our culture and awards that should have gone to our people. SO HURTFUL TO US 😢 DNA 🧬 check it She is lucky 🍀 she is not getting sued for lying! 🤥 🤥 🤥

[@karmin6421]

Wrll her son and her sister dna match

[@dih2606]

No extended relative will have a total match

[@gamegreed9105]

Even though she was born in Massachusetts USA she still could have Native blood apparently her son had a DNA test and he has Native blood.

[@gamegreed9105]

​@@dih2606apparently her son had a DNA test and he's Native just because she was born in Massachusetts USA dose not mean she's not Native.

[@joannapuleo9159]

Her son's father is Native! For heaven's sake. And I have seven adopted cousins who have lived in MA all their lives. The courts have their original birth certificates-registered in the town in which they were each born, which they were able to access at 18 and their adoption is on record at the Town Clerks office where their adoptive parents live. Massachusetts has always kept meticulous and highly secure records of births, adoptions and deaths.

[@purePurpleAlphabetsoup]

What i do not understand is how was it that she qualified to win all these canadian music awards and the Order of Canada? Don't you have to prove at the very least you are a canadian citizen to qualify for those awards? She claims she does not have a birth certificate - so does she have Canadian citizenship and if so how did that happen without any proof of being born in Canada? Did the Feds just take her word that she was born on the Piapot Reserve?

[@ace6285]

Order of Canada is a joke.

[@bovellois]

By being adopted by a Saskatchewan family, would she not then be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship? That could not be revoked.

[@ace6285]

@@bovellois This is not an adoption as is legally defined, It’s an indigenous honour rather than a federal statute.

[@Kokum11]

@@bovelloisno, it’s not a legal adoption.

[@mazymason4601]

No@@bovellois

[@kimberlybaldridge5767]

Lying about this is a low, low thing to do.

[@LLisa180]

Yes, and she did it all for money and fame. Look what she did to her own brother.

[@lr8763]

She’s a pathological liar. But what she did to her brother with her accusations to silence him from speaking is beyond despicable. Let’s just agree all Buffy ever really cared about was Buddy . 🙄🤮

[@khmanuel]

And now she is suggesting her mother had an affair. Disgraceful.

[@andrewandjoanhart7882]

All Buffy cares about is Buffy and $$$$$s

[@twistoffate4791]

​@@andrewandjoanhart7882You nailed it.

[@dth7577]

DNA TESTING!!!!

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Who’s Buddy?

[@janetscully3337]

She's a fraud. She knew what she was doing. Surely, it's time for her to own it. She lives in Hawaii. Her real family was devastated. She wasn't sexually abused by her brother or he never would have written to the newspapers to put the story of her origin right. It doesn't add up. Alan deserves the truth. She dumped her real family to progress in her career. Full. Stop. She needs to own it.

[@brockreynolds870]

I tell you what doesn't add up. Her skin being 3 shades darker and much redder than ANY of her "relatives" you know documents can be falsified, don't you?

[@user-op4by5xm3f]

Mind your personal business.

[@Supernova493]

​@@brockreynolds870 Yes, people in the same family can have great variations in skin colour, hair colour and texture (straight, curly, etc.) and eye colour. And these variations can be made greater with make-up, tanning, etc.

[@bunnybgood411]

And she even pretended to be Canadian. Gobsmacked that her citizenship wasn't confirmed before winning the Juno award.

[@Greenwings701]

There was never any "edge" afforded by singing about the plight of native North Americans and the US government's role in their stinging history. On the contrary, she was blacklisted by the government and she took a great economic hit. Your comment is inane. Her artistry is world class; voice and songwriting, performance, guitar, storytelling. She and any other artist has the right to write and sing and talk about virtually any subject they'd like, including native history ... as long as the government doesn't decide to silence them. How would you like your words to be silenced, and be personally blacklisted? You wouldn't be posting here.

[@trentriver]

The CBC uncovered the truth - to blame the CBC for Bluffy's lies is ludicrous. Completely asinine comment.

[@elizabethharvester6111]

No one is blaming CBC. Niigaan is pointing out how CBC did not include more Indigenous representation in the documentary - and he's right about that.

[@trentriver]

@@elizabethharvester6111 I am not sure that they should have included them in the investigation. It was not about indigenous people per se -- it was about a person who claimed she was indigenous and clearly is not what she claimed. It is not about them - it is about her. If anything, NOT including them gave them some distance away from the stink.

[@davidedwards3838]

They had indigenous investigators. Did you not watch it?

[@marlene8344]

The CBC ARE LIARS AND WAR CRIMINALS

[@marlene8344]

@@davidedwards3838all political excrement

[@SDW2000]

I don’t get the criticism against the CBC for releasing this story. It kickstarted a very important discussion and raised international awareness. The future will be better for it.

[@gilz8505]

Now cbc should question the whole trans community for authenticity

[@BlackGuardXIII]

@@gilz8505WTF?

[@elizabethharvester6111]

From how I understood it, Niigaan rightfully pointed out that the CBC should have involved more Indigenous voices in the gathering of evidence and discussion on it. It's another example of how Indigenous peoples are being reported about, not with.

[@Attmay]

They already are. This is the first step to that.

[@UnPluggingThePlayer]

​​@@elizabethharvester6111 How could strangers clear up her story? 5th Estate asked to interview her Piapot -inheritors- adopters, but they refused.

[@JustSayin916]

I'm a long time fan of Buffy Sainte Marie and this makes me very sad and very angry. I feel like a fool. I feel hood winked! As the indigenous scholar on the Fifth Estate documentary said, "why did she have to do it in redface?" She could have just honored, admired, and emulated First Nation people and culture without any false claims!!! So disappointing.

[@SusanA1056]

You sure aren't alone. I'm right there with you.

[@eaccristo]

I’m crushed. I feel foolish.

[@SusanA1056]

Never feel foolish for somebody elses choice of journey. (But we also feel duped and even a bit angry.) @@eaccristo

[@darma99]

The most shocking for me is about his accusations to her family especially her brother. I understand if she amazed by culture of indigenous people, but after knew about that blackmail letter, I realized she just want takes advantage for herself only

[@SusanA1056]

Exactly!@@darma99

[@Steph_7d7]

Truth is she was always a very manipulative person, look what she threatened to say to the press about her brother just to shut him up, no shame and no class, she made a career out of those traits.

[@Pollencakes]

What would you do to survive being raped as a kid? You people here are victim blamers and horrific people

[@jamesmorrison2055]

This is absolutely insane. Imagine all the bronzer she's gone through after all these years.

[@TheJhtlag]

I was kind of wondering about that reading this and looking at her pictures.

[@jamesmorrison2055]

@@TheJhtlag Right?? She may have been naturally tan to some extent originally but it definitely looks like she's wearing something artificial. It looks a bit too orangey.

[@szilviaembers818]

She’s always had deeper skin tone and I’m sure she gets a dark tan in the sun quickly because she is Italian. I’m so disappointed in her.

[@jamesmorrison2055]

@@szilviaembers818 It's disappointing to me too. I was actually a pretty big fan of hers and I loved a lot of her older music. I don't think I can enjoy it anymore though after knowing what she did and that really sucks.

[@TheJhtlag]

@@szilviaembers818 and she's retired to Hawaii where she can continue her artifice. Last place she'd want to be right now would be in Canada on the rez.

[@pierrettehebert3044]

CBC did a great job. To defend what a white American Santorini did is unbelievable

[@martytrueblood5902]

they brought the slowest welfare mother they could find who even says she don't know then proceeds to yank BS.. sheesh

[@TemujinMSM]

yay CBC I definitey think white state media should be policing our identity for us. Show us your pass card!

[@bebop2523]

@@TemujinMSM there were multiple indigenous people involved in the investigation. The investigation was started by a Navajo woman who contacted the CBC for assistance after her personal investigation started to gain traction. Navajo Jacqueline Keeler who exposed Sacheen Littlefeather, Dakota Kim Tallbear who exposed Elizabeth Warren, and Métis Jean Talliet who is an indigenous rights lawyer are all featured in the CBC documentary and all are indigenous people who are experts in their fields. It’s not the evil white people trying to persecute indigenous Buffy, this investigation was started by indigenous woman, who collaborated with other indigenous women, and then they brought in the CBC for additional resources

[@mikewiltshire9121]

​@@TemujinMSM , the journalist doing the story is first nations. So it's not a big white conspiracy to discredit a saint

[@erindunebuggy9772]

The bottom line is she has been using an invented orgin story to gain an edge in the entertainment industry and has created vast wealth and fame because of this false stage persona. She is playing a character in her own invented story......this may be forgiven over time if she will tell the truth and come clean about her birth family. She's 81 years old now and doing far better financially then most of us out here because of the music persona she portrayed.....Buffy needs to give back the Juno awards and apologize to the all of the First Peoples of the World for not coming clean years ago. No more lies......👈💯❤🌎

[@Greenwings701]

What "edge" was that, exactly? Her talent is world-class. And she was, on the contrary, blacklisted b the US government for singing about their role in the plight of native North Americans. Get a few basic facts about the woman. Being blacklisted is not an "edge." And she had and still has the right to write and sing about whatever she dam* well pleases, as do all other artists in the supposed free world, as long as the government doesn't blacklist you, right?

[@SusanA1056]

The edge was that she was competing against a much smaller number of people (Indigenous performers instead of white). @@Greenwings701

[@frontlineobservationdeck2142]

She's a liar

[@SusanA1056]

I 100% agree with you.@@frontlineobservationdeck2142

[@mikewiltshire9121]

​@@Greenwings701in the eyes of many people, being blacklisted by the US government is a cachet. But she claimed to have been born into three different first Nations over the years.

[@kimclarke5018]

These are not allegations. She’s not indigenous, she was born in Massachusetts to an Italian/English family. This is not a debate that she lied to everyone. Being adopted by the Cree First Nation family does not confer indigenous blood or genetics. It was their right to adopt her, and she did speak as if she was indigenous. Facts matter. Unfortunately she’s a narcissist and duped everyone. There is not uncertainty bottom line she lied. Her original family suffered for 60 years because she threatened them with lawsuits and made up lies about her brother to silence them.

[@TheJhtlag]

These posts show that a lot of people can't or don't want to follow facts and logic. A lot of emotional appeals or absurdist "what if"? questions without supporting arguments.

[@kimclarke5018]

@@TheJhtlag fact is I’m Canadian, who now lives in the US. I also happen to be a nurse and you cannot falsify birth certificates that are kept in county government offices period. There is always a paper trail with births at hospitals to this day. The Fifth estate doesn’t have direct access to the actual chart that recorded her mother’s admission to labor and delivery in the hospital because of HIPAA laws in the US. But that birth certificate was signed by the attending physician at her birth and his name would be on ALL the medical records associated with her mothers admission and hospitalization. It is irrefutable period. And yes the medical records would be preserved to this day.

[@TheJhtlag]

@@kimclarke5018 yep, the CDC did a very nice job of making that point as did the woman who keeps the records, very professional, very precise.

[@perlindell1305]

Everyone with any common sense can see that she is not European.

[@Paolo8772]

@@perlindell1305 Get off the copium.

[@BCHunterTV]

They adopted her based off lies..she also food them! Common... stop making excuses. She fooled everyone

[@thaboinextdoor]

🎉🎉

[@LizaB486]

Based on the DNA results, shes a fraud. Also, just because she was adopted by a native family, doesnt make her a native. If she was truly native, she wouldnt need to be adopted by a native family, especially as an adult. That was just a sly way of covering up her lie.

[@bovellois]

"Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond resigned from her Order of Canada appointment ... due to a CBC investigation of her incorrect claims to indigenous ancestry." That should put pressure on others to do the same thing.

[@TheJhtlag]

Buffy's in Hawaii, she doesn't care.

[@anitadelorme903]

At this point, I think we won't expect an apology for her actions.Neither will her biological family. How she tried to grab at straws on the 60 scoop as another fabrication to her story just made me so disappointed. Meanwhile, her biological family was left to feel indifferent.

[@FM-jo1jh]

They tried to tell the media and when she got wind of it, she threatened and cut ties with them. The letter from the lawyer to the brother claiming he is interfering with her ability to generate income tells you all you need to know. The goal for claiming to be indigenous was purely to further her career and fame.

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

I agree. The time to have discovered this was about 50 years ago when she was rising to fame.

[@theresanault5219]

​@@FM-jo1jhexcellent point!

[@Pollencakes]

Buffy's story is what most of our abuse stories look like. You want hollywood movie versions that don't exist. Abuse and colonialism is messy. Do the work to understand it or accept you are a victim blamer.

[@daniellamcgee4251]

​@LetheWilde I hope you have now watched 'The Fifth Estate' documentary by now, so you are on the same page as everyone else.

[@Philosopherkey007]

Buffy should get a DNA test. If she is indigenous the DNA will prove it.

[@samanthavinyl2434]

She was born to two Caucasian parents and it's as simple as that. She's white

[@brockreynolds870]

@@samanthavinyl2434 Are you sure? Back then birth certificates were falsified for adoptions all the time.

[@Renee-wy1po]

​@@samanthavinyl2434yes i still don't get why everyone is hoping this is 😢 not real ,she lie plain and simple, she needs to just come out and own it, 😢

[@theurbanyogipodcastwithwil1799]

@@samanthavinyl2434 I understand your perspective, but is it possible that her mother may have had an affair with an indigenous man? She appears to have strong indigenous features in my opinion.

[@williamhoole2065]

There is DNA confirmation from her niece that shares maternal or paternal irrefutable evidence already is my understanding

[@nunawatson4307]

She betrayed a huge amount of people

[@MelliaBoomBot]

Deception is deception…💔

[@smoothmedia]

She was adopted in part because she claimed to be indigenous and born cree and in that specific region. She was already well known at that point. If she had been adopted into a cree family as an infant and raised in the cree traditions i dont think there would be any controversy

[@bangxdeuslangs]

4:31 He is so right. I found that the people defending Buffy are taking this too personally. I've seen people make arguments like "I'm half Native/half [xyz], does that make me a pretendian?" or "I am Native but I didn't grow up in the culture/no one claims me, so does that make me a pretendian?" etc, etc. Like, this isn't about you. This is about Buffy. If anything, she owes her "growing up family," the Santa Marias, some justice. She smeared them through the dirt and made legal threats to them. If Buffy stands with her truth-- which is that she is not biologically related to the Santa Marias and was adopted-- then a simple DNA test can easily prove whether or not she is related to the current Santa Maria family members. Literally, it is that easy. But I have a feeling Buffy won't do it because the DNA results may uncover the REAL truths that Buffy wanted to bury long ago.

[@Attmay]

I am sensing a lot of Stockholm syndrome here.

[@beverleyjohnstone2045]

She is a pretendian she is not first nation.Just because you have indigenous heritage generations back doesn't make you native.

[@Pollencakes]

Buffy is Indigenous because she was claimed by a tribe. The rest is ya'll being nosey and shitty people.

[@candicehoneycutt4318]

I got absolutely dragged by some Native woman on Facebook this morning for pointing out that Buffy's story doesn't make sense (even her own account isn't consistent when you pick it apart), and that her alleged involvement with the scoop doesn't line up. She was like. 'you don't know anything about the culture' and calling me stupid and a 'sheeple.' Like, how stupid do you have to be to not see the gaping holes in Buffy's story? Buffy likely won't do it, but her son took a DNA and it showed a partial match to Buffy's sister.

[@ShannonFerguson]

I don't think the CBC is questioning her adoption as an adult. I think they are pointing to the fact that she wasn't born in Canada and is not Indigenous by birth. I think her use of lawyers and threats to keep her birth family silent is horrible.

[@sr2291]

My adopted birth certificate looks like her birth certificate.

[@ShannonFerguson]

@@sr2291 Sorry, but I'm confused. Isn't your birth certificate different than your adoption certificate?

[@sr2291]

@ShannonFerguson I have never seen my original birth certificate, but the adoption one has my name, my adopted parents' names, by birth time and city, and the hospital and doctors name, Registrars name and date and record number. So it is probably the same except they changed the names of the parents is all and hopefully kept the original somewhere.

[@sr2291]

@@ShannonFerguson Buffy doesn't have a registrar or his date on hers.

[@Paolo8772]

@@sr2291 You've obviously not yet seen the CBC doc The Fifth Estate. It's literally airing again right now as I'm typing this on CBC news network. Get off the copium!

[@TheOilers41]

What she needs to do is stand up and tell the damn truth and never mind being forgiven by a Cree family that adopted her she has to stand and acknowledge the hurt,pain,abandonment and the threats upon her true family in the US.

[@geinikan1kan]

It seems like Sainte-Marie made a choice to market herself as a native musician within the folk music market of the 1960s and 70s. If you want to point fingers at someone who created a hornets nest, I recommend asking why Sainte-Marie didn’t consult with native communities when she claimed to be a member of those communities as an American white woman.

[@xxcelr8rs]

Just another 60's folkie. The dye was cast when she lied to get attention from the press. The star maker machine took her in after that.

[@Greenwings701]

On the contrary, she was blacklisted in the US for singing about the plight of native North Americans and criticizing the government's role in it. She paid a price and yet continued to tell these stories, which brought more public understanding of their history. (And she wasn't the only artist blacklisted.) Her art and success did not depend on an ethnicity, however, as you should well know if you've ever heard her stunning, one-of-a-kind voice or have a cursory familiarity with her world-class songwriting. Pretending otherwise is pure nonsense. There weren't many others singing about this topic in the 60's and well beyond, and surely fewer still with her near-virtuoso level of vocal talent.@@xxcelr8rs

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

There are plenty of real indigenous folks in music that didn't use their native roots to gain recognition. The band Redbone was indigenous. Robbie Robertson of The Band was Cayuga and Mohawk. 50 years ago, most native musicians either tried to hide this, or at least not make an issue of it in order to fit in to the music business. BSM flipped the script and became famous because of it (or claiming to be so.) Learned a new work today: "pretendian".

[@xxcelr8rs]

@@chesterwilberforce9832 song is a song! Shouldn't get extra National Public Radio points for being in a tribe .being in a 'gang'. Be individual.

[@Attmay]

They would give a recording contract to just about anybody with a guitar and an ax to grind back then. Disco was partly a rebellion against that.

[@marshhen]

So true. She should not leave it to the actual indigenous family who adopted her as an adult - that is an ADDED CRUELTY to them. So disrespectful. She needs to step up, return her awards and admit to what she has done. She is letting other caring, ethical people dealing with the aftermath of this. As she did to her Italian-American biological family.

[@Pollencakes]

There is literally nothing she could say and she shouldn't have to defend herself. This is pure slander and lack of understanding context of colonialism.

[@Paolo8772]

@@Pollencakes That's some good copium you're smoking.

[@heather1985october]

@@Pollencakes Wow, you sure are "woke". Unbelievable...

[@bunnybgood411]

Buffy Saint-Marie needs to take a DNA test. Period.

[@mazymason4601]

Her son Cody did and he shares DNA with Buffy's sister

[@evelynlinz1481]

A DNA test may not solve the problem. I took a DNA ancestry test and I have a small indiginous history but I look very white so no one even believes that I have native ancestry.

[@Greenwings701]

No, no one should have to prove their DNA is one thing or another. AncestryDNA keeps changing its assessments of everyone's ethnicity. From one assessment to another I have gained and lost several ethnicities. They are only the company's best statistical assessment based on their algorithms and weighting at the time. Research is ongoing and is not final.

[@jannertfol]

It wouldn't be to prove whether she is indigenous or not. It would prove whether she is related by blood to the family who raised her from a baby. If she's telling the truth (which I now very much doubt) then the DNA test will show she is no relation to them. @@evelynlinz1481

[@sharonmontano4924]

What is sad is that she’s turned her back on her Sicilician/ Calabria heritage. Facha brute

[@midwayer11]

She lied and there’s consequences for being dishonest! She should own it and accept the consequences.

[@michaelroper4238]

None of these people had a word to say about her claim about being adopted by her biological own parents ....,that seems like the shocking part...

[@BlackGuardXIII]

Imagine how much that hurt them.

[@talkingmotanka]

I believe in the documentary, the family was puzzled by it, but said, "Just let her do her thing." Me thinks Buffy treated her parents well financially, so it was a bit of a pay off.

[@Jackielocks]

Isn’t that some kind of fraud? She won Awards by claiming to be something she wasn’t. She stole that from Legitimate Indigenous Artists. She was given work and made money because of those Awards. She should be held accountable for her actions. It’s Shameful.

[@SusanA1056]

Exactly!

[@marlene8344]

O bs! You’re a fraud!

[@brettbrown9261]

She could rectify this whole debate by simply taking a DNA test, then making them public...

[@defleshedbuttocks]

She has to give back ALL her awards!

[@pattigee1]

No way! She earned every one of them with her talent, liar or not.

[@Pitzi.]

I watched the entire Fifth Estate documentary and for the most part agree with your guests. I believe that if Buffy perpetuated a false Indigenous identity from the beginning of her musical career, she needs to publicly admit it and return any awards she received that were based on her declared Indigenous heritage which is different than being adopted by an Indigenous couple. Hasn't she historically claimed that she was born of a Canadian Indigenous couple and adopted by an American non-Indigenous family? If that is a falsehood, it is significant. The distancing from and betrayal of her American birth family is also a source of criticism and distain. Both cultures suffer as a result. I was a Buffy fan from the 1960's and I can no longer respect her. In hindsight, it puts a university lecture she gave years ago on early American history into a difference perspective. To me, it now appears to be seasoned from a viewpoint of so called, "white privilege".

[@purePurpleAlphabetsoup]

I bet the producers of Sesame Street are beyond embarrassed

[@maureennelson4513]

She now claims her mother told Buffy she may have come from "the wrong side of the sheets" aka her mom had an affair. She shoved her brother under the bus years ago and now she causes her mother to roll over in her grave. It hurts all our relations to the core. My grandmother was taken and indentured. She never would talk about it and we would be hit if we asked. She was broken and we were disenfranchised. Buffy's exposure is not only opening old wounds, it has created new ones. Take the freaking DNA test and start making reparations. It's time Buffy to start giving back all she took.

[@carly829]

​@@maureennelson4513yep this whole thing stinks to me. For Buffy to tell so many lies she can't keep straight just to keep up her facade of being indigenous is gross. And the way she dragged her biological family through the mud ... threatening her brother to say he was a p3d0, saying her mother "might have" had an affair with a Native man and got pregnant outside her marriage, and now none of these people can defend themselves. And of course accepting awards as an indigenous person when in fact it's getting more obvious she is not! Being adopted into a tribe is one thing, advocating for indigenous peoples is one thing, pretending to be authentically indigenous and reaping awards and rewards as such is so wrong.

[@maik4946]

There must be a track record of all the books she borrowed from the library to know HOW to be Cree . I'm shocked to know she gave lectures. Where did she get her acting/training to be Cree?

[@elizabethcablesings]

It is interesting watching her in the documentary. Now when looking at old footage of interviews it is obvious that she is keeping up with her own lie. She drops beats and comes up with new ways of saying things. It is terrible and really broke my heart as I have been a fan. Admit your lies!!!

[@Robin-bk2lm]

If i adopt an adult under false pretense, id be embarrassed and very upset.

[@Loweredexpectationss]

They might have known💁‍♀️ 😜

[@chrisfournier6144]

I think that this panel misses the point entirely. Buffy has claimed to be indigenous. That’s the issue. It seems to be a lie. Even her adoption was made under false pretences. She said that she was indigenous not Italian American! It’s not hard to understand!

[@cyberseklep1]

Serious question. Is she a registered band member of Piapot FN? If so, did "tax free status earnings" come with her Piapot adoption? Were ALL her concerts on reserve "tax free status earnings" on her part since said adoption, or as an American, did she pay taxes for all those rez concerts? At some point someone is going to want to see tax returns. Tax returns and DNA results.

[@purePurpleAlphabetsoup]

how did she even get canadian citizenship without a birth certificate i want to know?

[@mazymason4601]

You don't understand tax free, you have to live on reserve and work on reserve to claim tax free status. Otherwise you pay taxes the same as everyone else.

[@mayloo2137]

They relied on oral history from the Piapot Reserve.

[@baublesanddolls]

Every single video of her online or anywhere should be removed as well as all of her awards should be taken back. She had the nerve to blackmail her brother as being a sexual predator, meanwhile I remember listening to her during an interview when she was at least fifty talking about have sex with 17 year old boys. She makes me sick.

[@pinknick82]

No, every video of her music should not be removed just bc she makes you sick.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

She won't care what anyone thinks about her, she is worth millions.

[@christinecanty5409]

This is the truth.

[@alisonj9533]

Yep, going into seclusion now with wealth won't bother her.

[@frontlineobservationdeck2142]

Can she adopt me into her tribe? Auntie can pay my rent

[@Greenwings701]

Most likely from honest songwriting royalties that had nothing to do with her heritage or claims of heritage. Did you think people get paid for being indigenous or dressing that way?

[@burninsage7126]

Is Buffy paying these people to say this crap?? Or are they really just that dense? SMH

[@thaboinextdoor]

😅😂😂😂😂😂

[@thaboinextdoor]

😅😂😂😂😂😂

[@edwinacaparelli9911]

I'm not Indigenous, but I think that the real question is was she being authentic. Authenticity is important and I second what the lady guest said, she took space from others.

[@dashulamite]

Buffy said that her Mom said she was 1/2 mi'kmaq...wouldn't it make sense for her to seek out people from that tribe?

[@SunflowerFlowerEmpire]

What do you all think she's going to say more on this? She's said it all for decades. She's still regurgitating what she's already fabricated. I doubt she will say any more. She isn't going to apologize. It's fact that most prefendians who have been found out in the past they have all gone underground and retired and are no where to be seen again.

[@Attmay]

How convenient that these revelations are coming to light around the same time she announced her retirement from performing. I didn’t think anybody still cared. I can’t believe anybody ever thought that glorified hog calling was singing.

[@notaclue822]

If she's been lying all these years, I doubt she's going to change her story now. It will be interesting to see what she does.

[@talkingmotanka]

I actually wonder if she began believing her own lies. If so, it will take an awful lot of therapy to get her to understand who she really is.

[@Dobviews]

She not only created a fake life but she has used false claims of SA to silence her family! All of her IP awards need to be *removed!* Her entire career needs to be placed on the trash heap! She needs to apologize for decades of lies/deceit! The family needs a proper apology from her for making up lies to force them into silence! As a SA survivor her false claims of SA against her family are very personal! I hope she is *CANCELLED!*

[@thaboinextdoor]

🎉

[@kingdoc3262]

I love these two Indigenous persons coolness, Calmness, lack of Anger, lack of Arrogance and their explanation of different values of the Indigenous Canadians. Host is cool headed too🎉

[@JohnSmith-dh4gw]

I don't have a dog in this fight but any time a blatant fraud is exposed I am happy. I realize the victims don't want to admit, the unscrupulous don't want to concede, and the perpetrator(s) don't want to lose, but "the truth will set you free" doesn't change. Buffy's got a LOT more problems than folks calling her out down here.

[@MrBassflute]

I feel horrible that the indigenous artist she ‘beat out’ in the Junos wound up committing suicide…how different would her life had been if she had ‘won’ ( which, in retrospect, she actually did)? Horrible all around. I feel completely betrayed by her as a lifelong fan. Just my 2¢, for what it’s worth.

[@cahaet8363]

The person who committed suicide was unstable, Buffy is not a killer and for you to suggest that she is responsible for an unstable woman's death, when that woman has a history of being unstable is just as nasty as you think that Buffy is.

[@inezsitu7291]

Cheif Jay Strongbow was also Italian but he never claimed to be Indigenous outside of the character he portrayed. Buffy is not Canadian. Years ago, when I worked in radio, I was told that Buffy may or may not be Canadian and that her music would not meet cancon regulations. Robert Goulet was in the same category but he later became a Canadian citizen.

[@tacticalskiffs8134]

Brian Adams is Canadian, but his music did not meet Cancon either, birth is not the only thing that determines that. He used the best people in making his records and the overall tally did not add up. No idea about Buffy, just that not making Cancon is not definitive.

[@0tto9]

If she knew that her parents were American, and perpetrated the lie about being born in Saskatchewan, she is a very bad person. I saw her on Sesame Street and loved her. This breaks my heart.

[@BlackGuardXIII]

Of course she knew all along. She didn’t start lying about her origins until she was 20. I was a fan for decades. The fifth estate report ended that for me. I despise what she’s done and is doing.

[@redparrot9489]

These are shocking revelations. There are TWO adoptions here - the first one didn’t happen. The second one did. My heart aches for the harm this lifelong fraud has caused.

[@mariemoller9901]

The fact she threatened her brother (her family too!) was really cruel .

[@talkingmotanka]

Hate to joke about this, but it seems making such threats seems like such an Italian thing to do.🙄

[@mariemoller9901]

@@talkingmotanka yep

[@LLisa180]

She needs to be stripped of all awards and especially she needs to be stripped of the Order of Canada

[@SusanA1056]

YES! and the stamp needs to be canceled.

[@jewelnile7587]

Beverly Santa Maria

[@RainwriterMusic]

She needs to get on the Maury show and take a DNA and lie detector test!!

[@rickybobby6579]

I grew up in Massachusetts in the 70's....everyone talked about how she was from Mass. (proudly at the time)

[@iastorgaphotos]

The adoption of Sainte-Marie is NOT the issue. The issue is that this woman may have lied about being indigenous and is reaping the benefits and fame that actually belongs to a true Native person. Watching that CBC documentary where Sainte-Marie threatened her blood brother to keep quiet on threat of accusing him of abuse…something is not right.

[@user-op4by5xm3f]

Yeah, incest isn't right. Who wouldn't be needing another family where they're safe and loved. And none of this is anyone's business btw.

[@ahill4642]

The adult adoption isn’t the issue. The alleged SA isn’t the issue. The fact that she claimed to be born to indigenous parents, accepted indigenous awards, and claimed to represent/have experienced indigenous experiences… is the issue.

[@iastorgaphotos]

@@user-op4by5xm3f Too late: it’s now all out in the public arena.

[@yarnpower]

@@user-op4by5xm3fbaloney. Her brother had a daughter. Surely if she had actually been abused she would have told on him, so her niece would be safe. It seems much more likely that she made up that lie to use as a threat. Back then in the sixties folk singers were only getting $100 to $150 for a performance but Buffy was raking in $2,000. It was all about fame and fortune over her actual family.

[@KarmasAbutch]

Really? Will you be contacting her rejected WHITE birth family of origin to let them know that personally?

[@stephenpercy4643]

Her silence is surely saying it ALL!!!

[@nealskrenes2612]

What can she do? *Take a DNA test.* And _then likely apologize for lying for so long._

[@CMAtkinson]

Too bad they addressed the Cree adoption and focused on that. It was the supposed adoption by her biological parents that was the focus of the story 😮

[@Shaktee007]

Threatening her own family into silence is worse than the fraud itself! Pathetic!

[@mickeyhead9770]

The absolute worst thing a woman can do is falsely accuse someone of sexual abuse.

[@pussyhigh]

This woman is a monster, and needs to be stripped of the Order of Canada, etc, immediately.

[@SHARON.I]

No internet when she started this side show

[@evilqueenyiayia]

It does feel personal. I'm not indigenous, but I looked up to Buffy and her music. There were few rolemodles for dark skinned immigrants. She was loud and proud and I'm sad this is how it's ending. It's up to the Indigenous Community. 😔

[@tamalebutt]

No, it's up to DNA 🧬

[@sr2291]

@@tamalebutt From PerplexityAI without the source numbers. Go there and ask this question: Does Native American DNA always show up on DNA tests Native American DNA does not always show up on DNA tests. There are several reasons why this might be the case. Inheritance patterns: DNA is inherited in specific patterns, and if Native American ancestry is not along the tester's direct maternal or direct paternal line, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA will be of no use in showing it. Random inheritance: DNA is passed down randomly, so it is possible that someone with Native American ancestry may not inherit any DNA from their Native American ancestor. Test accuracy: DNA tests may miss evidence of Indigenous American DNA, as they survey only a portion of a person's DNA. Estimates: DNA testing companies provide ethnicity "estimates" based on their base samples, which are constantly undergoing updating as sciences improve. Thus, if someone has taken a DNA test and did not see Native American DNA, they may want to log back in and take a look around, as there may have been an update to their results. It is important to note that even when test results do show Native ancestry, they rarely show tribal affiliation. Additionally, it is important to be clear about the differences between DNA, ancestry, and identity, especially when it comes to Indigenous American individuals and the sovereignties of Indigenous Nations. Misattributing an ancestor as Indigenous is also a possibility, as white settlers or their descendants sometimes did this to justify a more native-born “Americanness” or to absolve one’s family of blame for colonialism.

[@johngreystone]

@@tamalebuttdna don’t make you native. The Cree people adopted her as native which makes her native

[@alysbackincanada]

That doesn't make her native, it just makes her part of that community @@johngreystone

[@johngreystone]

@@alysbackincanada as a native myself she is native to me. I don’t need some whites telling me what is or isn’t native

[@denniscolleen]

Adoption is not the issue. The issue is her claim to an ancestral heritage that is not hers. That's the issue. 23 and me would solve this riddle in 30 seconds. As a Canadian (non-Indigenous) I feel duped. I can only imagine how this makes Indigenous Canadians feel.

[@ylekiote99999]

Buffy´s reaction to all her lies is almost more disgusting than the lies themselves.

[@jackevans3480]

I came across this entirely by chance Tonight. It's the first I've heard of it and, having been a massive Buffy fan since my teens, I am totally shocked. I haven't seen the programme in question or even heard about it before so I genuinely have no idea if the allegations made against Buffy have actually been proven. I also have no idea how I should feel. It's a completely dreadful shock. I guess I don't feel personally duped as it was always Buffy's voice and songwriting that impressed me, but the thought of listening to songs like "Now That The Buffalo's Gone" or "Soldier Blue" if the allegations are true is kind of bizarre, not that a singer necessarily has to have experienced the narrative captured in the lyric of a song. Even so, if Buffy did create a fake background for herself, lie about her ethnicity and make false claims about sexual abuse, then that is disgusting. Naturally, as a fan, I want to discover that these allegations are unfounded or fabricated but, as most of the people commenting on here seem to have no doubt at all of Buffy's guilt, I can't imagine that is a likely result. I am just struggling with this right now. It's really disturbing when someone one has always seen as having so much honour, integrity and positivity may actually be a total fake. I can't get my head around it. Maybe I shouldn't be so shocked in an era when compulsive liars, narcissists and the unhinged can and do become President or Prime Minister but this has knocked me for six.

[@jasmoni0422]

Idk what the truth is, but she looks like she could be a Native American. Birth certificate says white, yet she doesn’t resemble her siblings. They look white. She look more Native American than those speaking against her. So, I don’t know.

[@jimhood1202]

​@@jasmoni0422when I was watching the documentary they showed a photograph of her mother aged I would guess in her sixties. Apart from the white hair she looked very much like Buffy. No conclusive of course but the resemblance struck me straight away.

[@charlottekey8856]

You're looking at fake tan and possibly some plastic surgery. There are pictures of her as very young person, she does resemble the Santa Marias. @@jasmoni0422

[@Paolo8772]

@@jasmoni0422 She's white. Watch the doc already.

[@rollingthunder72]

Do the test Buffy If you have nothing to hide then it should not be an issue..if you refuse then we can not & will not believe anything you say.. Creator's always watching.

[@karencunningham214]

I am 65 and a 60's scoop survivor. I tried to get my original Birth certificate after I found out that I was adopted in 1984. I was told that there was no record of my original one. The only one on file was after I was adopted. The scoop was going on in Canada way before 1951. The closed adoptions in Canada prior to 1951 were kept in what they called "The Grey books back then. First Nations children were sent all over the place many to the States. My friend was sent to live with a Jewish family in California he recently found out that he was adopted also. The government covered up so many adoptions back then and stole so many children from their homes on reserves all across Canada.

[@roaringgirl7079]

Yes, but this is not what happened to Saint-Marie. At all. She has a birth certificate on file, signed by the same doctor who delivered her siblings. Not only that, but the birth certificates were filed in the order in which they were received, meaning that this was not a magical reissue created at the moment of her adoption. She has been profiting off your experience.

[@Pitzi.]

I hope that your adoptive parents were good and loving parents to you. I also hope someday you will be able to connect with some blood relatives and learn more about your birth family.

[@karencunningham214]

@@Pitzi. Sorry to say that my adoptive parents were not good to me or my other siblings who were in their home.But I did find my real family in 1984. I found out that my mother went into the hospital to have me and came out without me. the Ministry took me as soon as I was born my older brother told me and my cousins that i met also. I was not legally adopted until 1962 but my birth certificate has my adopted name on it.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

She has a legit birth certificate showing American parents and an American birth. She looks like her patents and her brother. Zero connection to Canada. A DNA testvwould solve it but she refuses.

[@claudebuysse7482]

She was born in 1941...

[@user-ew5eh2co5p]

She’s over 80, tons of money, what does she cares now when the truth comes out?

[@robertorrom8712]

She should be publicly stripped of all her "Honours" Order of Canada indeed, SHAME,SHAME,SHAME

[@ericabrynn]

It seems clear that she is not Indigenous. How is that not clear? The problem isn't that the CBC revealed that truth, the problem is that we, Indigenous people, have not worked out amongst ourselves what makes a person Indigenous and until we figure that out we are vulnerable to pretendians claiming Indigeneity. There are three aspects of Indigeneity - genetic inheritance (blood), cultural, and political - and if a person is to claim indigeneity they should have all three (with room for the scooped). The question we need to ask of each other, and come to agreement on, is what privileges and obligations does adoption bestow? In my mind, it makes her part of the family that adopted her, and possibly a member of the clan/band/Nation, if that is what the Piapot decide, but it doesn't magically change her genetics and genetics are essential, although to what degree is for each nation to decide. The CBC didn't create this problem - this is our problem to work out, and until we do this will continue to happen.

[@DeniseLaFranceCDNpainter]

She KNEW it & proof is in the great lengths she went to *_HIDE_* it; including threatening to spread lies about her brother if he continues to expose the truth. The lawsuit calls this truth-exposing *_"threatening her reputation and livelihood",_* which proves her motive has always been fame & fortune by intentional FRAUD.

[@c.a.t.732]

This story is just heartbreaking. I was a fan of hers since the 60s, and still have her picture from the Illuminations album cover on my wall. So unutterably sad.

[@lindajackson2382]

You CAN'T deny that birth certificate in Mass.!

[@user-zn7uf9wg3v]

Making relations is different than saying something that isn't true.

[@lindajackson2382]

Must have been TERRIBLE for her Caucasian family to feel so non- appreciated! How horrible! My best guess is that someone early in Buffy's career must have told her it would make her " stand out" from other folk singers at the time in the 60's- of which there were many- to pretend to be indigenous.

[@shannongilmourpeersupport]

The adoption isn't in question; it is her allegations that she was adopted at a young age.

[@smith3329]

When my father came to Canada, he was in awe of our First Nations. He defended them when tbey were maligned; he emulated their ways in admiration. He told us we were on borrowed land. It's astonishing to think that another European could treat The People of Turtle Island with such disrespect. As one of them, please accept my heartfelt apology.

[@JoeBlowUK]

She launched her career in 1961, the year I was born, as a "novelty act", posing as a native American. That claim earned her all the money she has made over a 60 year period. There were plenty of white decent singers around in the early 60's who never made it, as they were all alike. The native American act made her stand out from the rest, not her musical abilities. She should be forced to give back all the money she has made from her lies, maybe donate it all back to the peoples she was imitating.

[@talkingmotanka]

What's more, that being Italian created discrimination as it was. She needed an out, and this was it.

[@mrsvle]

Right. As a white girl she was your average hippie chick folk singer of mediocre talent. But add some feathers and beads and indigenous heritage and all a sudden she’s a unique standout to be celebrated and admired. The PBS types just ate this up !!

[@robford3211]

It’s speaks to the the character of Mrs Beverly Santamaria that she threw her Mom and brother under the bus after they were dead , for they have no recourse to rebuttal . It’s almost worthy of the second Order of Canada for Mrs Santamaria.

[@lynnroney1234]

The thing about it is, her birth certificate is her birth certificate. She was born in a hospital in Massachusetts. If you are adopted, they do not change your birthplace. My mom was adopted. She was born in Toronto. Period. It was listed that her parents were her adoptive parents. Her birth mother was not revealed because at that time it was not legally permitted to find out. Does not know what hospital she was born in. It was not listed. Heritage? Who knows? Buffy’s parents are listed as her birth parents. They were from Italy. That makes her of Italian heritage. I’m a settler, and of course the final decision on this situation is up to the indigenous community and to them only. But just because the Pipot family adopted her as family does not mean her heritage is now indigenous. Not anymore than my best friend, who was adopted by a French couple, is no longer of Ukrainian heritage. Her birth parents were from the Ukraine. Buffy’s heritage is Italian. She was blessed to be taken on as family, but her heritage is her heritage. That does not change.

[@BOLLOCKS1968]

Sad the lengths that some people will go to to protect themselves and their lies from being exposed. DNA won't lie ... just people.

[@raph3156]

Such a bummer if its true, I loved her music. Blood test would clear the speculation up fast.