Manitoba's Indigenous arts community grapples with revelations from Buffy Sainte-Marie documentary

www.cbc.ca/new...
A Cree and Métis singer-songwriter from Winnipeg says he's struggling with his feelings after an investigation by CBC's The Fifth Estate that calls into question singer and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie's claims to Indigenous ancestry.
Don Amero described his feelings following the report as "grey."
Amero said he has met Sainte-Marie many times over his career, and feels he owes her a debt of gratitude for opening doors for him and other Indigenous artists.
"To get to this place in my career as an Indigenous artist, I stand on the shoulders of giants, and Buffy is one of those giants that kicked open the doors for a person like me," he said.
After watching the Fifth Estate documentary, he says there are certainly questions that are shaking people within the community, but Sainte-Marie's long legacy makes it difficult to know how to respond.

[@jaylair8912]

They're not really "allegations." The documentary thoroughly refuted and destroyed St. Marie's claims of native ancestry. They showed proof in many forms. People can take a minute to process it, but the truth has been revealed.

[@markhirstwood4190]

Exactly.

[@animalariscoproducoes6453]

Well, I think documents not always show truths. Especially if released in the 1940s, when families would like to hide painful subjects anyway.

[@Yennefer_Of_Vengerberg--1266]

Truth ? Native American children go missing and are stolen all the time from us only to be raised by Caucasian families , this has been going on for 500 years and is still going on but of course you are never told about it nor are you taught about it . There are full blooded Native Americans out there who look like they are Caucasian so no it is not hard for me to believe that there are Caucasians out there who in turn look Native American but it takes A true Native American/Native Canadian soul to champion the Native American/Native Canadian people but like is so natural with the human world people are better at ruining each other and all the good that a person may have done instead of praising the good that has been done. She does not have to pour out her entire life's story . She has said quite enough about what has been said between her families and herself. Nobody is entitled to that information . A birth certificate is a piece of paper which can easily be changed to reflect something else. I have a friend who is full blood Cheyenne and they were raised by a Caucasian family , his birth certificate says the same thing Buffy Saint-Marie's does , it claims he is born to the Caucasian parents but blood testing PROVED he was FULL BLOOD CHEYENNE ! So until a DNA test reveals otherwise , I will keep my Judgement until I have ALL OF the facts .

[@Yennefer_Of_Vengerberg--1266]

@@animalariscoproducoes6453 you're right , they don't back then a lot of the birth certificates showed the adoptive parents , not the biological parents so CBC screwed up , did an investigation based on how things are now , not how they were back then and they didn't even consult the 60s scoop survivors who have far more insight on the subject than they did . They have done a half @$$ed investigation without doing their research . They have made themselves look like fools and if Buffy Saint-Marie DOES do a blood test and proves them wrong they could be opened up for one hell of a legal mess.

[@triwlkr]

Beverly stated in a video response online that it was suggested to her by family members, she may have been a baby from the other side if blanket. Also that she was told other stories, so she's not sure of her heritage, etc. Another story again, it seems.

[@daniel-jm7lj]

Bluffy order of canada must be taken back she's not even canadian

[@MiloCarrete]

Canadian at heart ❤

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

Haha--"Bluffy" St. Marie? IDK if that was a typo or not but it was brilliant :)

[@gregcushing1716]

​@@ingridfong-daley5899😂

[@The66Leadfoot]

But that would make us indi-viduals that give things and then take them back.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

Ouch!!@@The66Leadfoot

[@AlexusYoung-t5k]

I'm starting a petition here in Toronto to get as many names as I can to have the government of Canada strip her of her Order Of Canada award. 🇨🇦 As far as I'm concerned, she can stay in Hawaii (USA), but the Order of Canada must come back home 'to our home and native land'.

[@krissalkond]

Isn´t possible to pretend the docu never aired?

[@AlexusYoung-t5k]

@user-ck2hr5vn8e Yes, but only if history identifies Anna Anderson (Polish peasant Franziska Schanzkowska) as being Anastasia, the former Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia. History books will have to be changed worldwide to acknowledge Franziska as a royal survivor of the Impatiev Massacre. #Pretendian

[@tertur2957]

I highly doubt that she will be stripped of any awards, that would mean that the powers that be were easily fooled.

[@jupiter1014]

Id sign it !!

[@jessestewart169]

Yes also all Canadian indigenous music awards she won. Take the stamp she's on out of circulation as well.

[@MrbourqueB]

She’s gotta be dropped from the Order of Canada. She is neither indigenous nor Canadian. This one hurts

[@jenq436]

Take it away

[@Giornalisti]

If you take away Buffy's Juneau then you must take away Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize. Bob Dylan dropped his original name Bob Zimmerman and Christianized himself hiding his Jewish roots. Dylan claimed he was born in Colorado. Even wrote a song saying he was going back to Colorado the place he was born. Bob Zimmerman was actually born in Hibbing Minnesota. What is the difference. Buffy has done a lot for indigenous people. She was taken in by a Saskatchewan Cree First Nation. She is indigenous the same way that an immigrant from Germany, India, China become Canadian when they become Canadian Citizens. Shame on CBC shame on all the haters who hopped on CBCs hate wagon

[@BCHunterTV]

She needs to be charged... and made example of... to stop others Take everything away!

[@ThatGuy-dj3qr]

Agree with you 100% . She neither Canadian nor indigenous, so the order of Canada is based on lies. Buffy has changed her story so many times that she now comes across as a pathological liar. It is bizarre to see some people still clinging to those lies in the face of facts.

[@sarahwaters10sw]

And then there's Aboriginals like me with my white skin and my blonde green eyed son. This woman just made it that much harder for people like me and my children, we already got it hard just for the color of our skin. I'm not as dark as some folks think I should be!!!!! One more thing you are a Native to the country you were born in. It's not about skin.....

[@CrowdPleeza]

A big question is,how did Andrea Warner and Blair Stonechild, who wrote Buffy biographies end up missing this?

[@madelainepetrin1430]

They wrote what they were told. The myth was a lot better than truth. They aren't historians. They write puff pieces for the fans.

[@gingerelle101]

A bigger question would be, how did her husbands not find out?

[@slidegirl9166]

@@gingerelle101Sheldon Wolfchild must have known

[@jaysky2000]

@@ericcleesak8074 You took the words right out of my mouth!

[@rachell8661]

Beverly would threaten anyone and everyone with her expensive Hollywood lawyers. She was also a fan of blackmail.

[@peggylaviolette8303]

Just watched a documentary on KZbin "Fifth Estate" about her. She used us, she knew it, disowned her biological family. SHAME ON HER! SHAME for using us to get money

[@digital6string1]

Tax free money.

[@helenhighwater5313]

And she threatened to scandalize her brother with a vicious potentially destructive lie. Woman of character there, eh?

[@pinkyjay1881]

@@helenhighwater5313that’s the part where I thought this woman is a bully! She did a lot of great things but when she threatened her brother with that, that meant she knew she was a fraud and she was trying to keep it hidden!

[@Tellhimhesdead-m1y]

Does this mean that Buffy can stop going to the tanning salon now!

[@jeffhildreth9244]

B I N G O !!

[@benashii]

Lmao

[@janscott602]

The bigger story is she’s a Yankee pretending to be Canadian so she can grift off our generosity.

[@DarkstOfficial]

As an First Nations Artist, she deserves to be stripped of everything, using the 60s scoop as a way to hide her missing "documents", SHAME ON HER

[@keetahbrough]

so what do you do to change the conditions for us First Nations people? Earning money doesn't change the situation for us, dear. So what are you DOING.. towards that end.

[@MiloCarrete]

I was so sad that day.

[@easytrips3448]

''Bluffy'' is stealing valour

[@rfastkats924]

yeah she was born in 1941 so the 60's scoop doesn't make much sense

[@franknberry333]

Absolutely!

[@jasonmoser8957]

Wow, one of those two that passed away were potentially denied some very significant recognition for their artistic contributions to Canadian culture.

[@ahill4642]

May have saved their lives to win/changed their trajectories.

[@johnsarkissian5519]

Had the poor girl been recognized and gotten the Juno, she may not have even committed suicide! Now, “Buffy the Vampire” sounds more apt than ever!

[@ezrabergsma2112]

Buffy lied. A lie to get ahead and used indigenous heritage like as she put it .."Indians were not respected and I don't know where I come from or my birthday." Come on! We all been had. lol.. she laughed all the way to town and the bank. 5000 in the 60's ! and the nerve to say she is from 60's scoop generation! And let me get to her real family! How hurt they must have been. 😢 .. and... and..😡

[@clance4567]

I never heard her say she was part of the 60s scoop. She's too old, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have been adopted, Indigenous children were lured and kidnapped from their home reserves and forced into Residential schools

[@STR82DVD]

Let's all say it together, "DNA".

[@carolstanton7373]

Exactly, a DNA test would settle it once and for all.

[@keetahbrough]

junk science.

[@franceswhite8508]

Not necessarily

[@paddlefar9175]

@@keetahbroughYou just displayed your science illiteracy.

[@STR82DVD]

@@keetahbrough Lol. At least you made me laugh today.

[@Hollyweeds]

She didnt 'hold the door open' she closed it for real indigenous people who deserved the accolades she received.

[@debrap947]

@frozenwarning Selective truth? and reconciliation.

[@izzypuccino2455]

How did she "close" it? She hasn't taken anyone's place, because there's room for anyone with talent.

[@Hollyweeds]

@@izzypuccino2455 she literally took jobs, awards and accolades meant for indigenous people. There are thousands of talented indigenous artists who deserve the recognition that Beverly stole from them for decades.

[@Hollyweeds]

@frozenwarning she was more in Massachusetts to italian parents. She could do a DNA test to prove she's not related to her siblings but she won't.

[@Hollyweeds]

She lied to the Paipot people. Her adoption into that community based on lies. She was not born there.

[@madelainepetrin1430]

We should always be suspicious when people dress up in tribal outfits all the time. It's like forcing a card in a game.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Yep and the tan foundation she always wears

[@carmenmccauley585]

Very astute! I hadn't thought of that angle.

[@DjWellDressedMan]

[@qmnnvrdyz8965]

​@@joan-lisa-smithI think that's like a tanning cream. I don't know how she can even look at herself in the mirror, without being mortified over her deception!

[@texasrefugee7888]

I'm always suspicious of veterans that dress up in military regalia all the time too.

[@Martinique_36]

She’s made a fool out of us and must be stripped of every award and honour Canada bestowed on her.

[@maxalberts2003]

She confused many of us (maybe not deliberately) and I'm assuming that more answers will be forthcoming as she works herself out of this mess. Please give Ms. Sainte-Marie time and the benefit of a doubt. None of us are "fools" because we believed in and supported her integrity and mission.

[@firstlady3674]

This is terrible. I cannot wrap my head around her actions; and to top it off she has not taken responsibility. The truth always comes out no matter how much time passes.

[@markhirstwood4190]

She figured nobody's going to hassle 'a young Indian girl' and if they ask any questions, just give vague, evasive answers and a BIG SMILE and it won't matter. She was right, for a long time, till she was wrong... Rich, famous Italian, English, Irish American.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Not shockwaves for all, many Native people I know have disliked her for many years and told me over a decade ago that they thought she was full of it but felt too many in the community would come down on them if they dared challenge her story in any way.

[@RosePetal17]

This reminds me of the Trump narrative. Many republicans don’t support him privately, but back him publicly for fear of retaliation. I just don’t get it??!!! I know this is an accusation, but I have had the thought that Ms. Saint Marie ( Italian: Sante Maria) may be sociopathic (?) After all, she threatened her own brother of sexual abuse if he continued to tell the truth about her heritage.

[@RosePetal17]

@@fishkegYes, I learned this after watching the CBC investigation. The truth comes out…Eventually!

[@ein4272]

Good point. I'm first nations, 61, grew up on the rez in bc, been to many parties with indigenous musicians (country was the music of choice) and i have never listened to a full song of hers (nails on a chalkboard vocals dont appeal) . i have met a few people who liked bluffy and none were indigenous. she helped raise the voice of indigenous people but she based it on lies. Strip her of all accolades.

[@louleebelle6164]

She needs to confess, appologies. This is very shameful for her. With or without admitting truth, its so shameful for her. So...much.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

I think it is for her image but not to her personally as I think she's famous and gotten away with it so long that she's arrogant and entitled and just feels "how dare people question me". She is doing what she did to her family to all of us now, if you call her out you're racist, or mean, or abusive, or poor her anything to avoid owning up. @@louleebelle6164

[@johndoe-lm7ji]

I feel bad for the brother who was falsely accuse for sexual abuse when the truth came out!

[@GrannyDi276]

Buffy was able to perpetrate her lies because too many journalists & biographers are incredibly lacking in curiosity❤❤❤

[@mcdart2606]

A journalist and biographer who "lacks in curiosity" doesn't deserve either of those titles. That's just lazy.

[@ronnie_5150]

Or out of fear. Everyone knows if you call them out they play the race card.

[@guymerritt4860]

She IS indigenous - indigenous to Massachusetts and, to a lesser extent, Italy. People who can do this sort of thing truly freak me out. My honesty was - and remains - a joke in our family. My sister always said, "If war breaks and Butch gets captured the enemy will know everything in 5 minutes because he can't lie....". The people who heaped awards on this woman for her contributions to indigenous culture must feel so betrayed and embarrassed. My condolences to the people who have been hurt by this charade. This is pretty awful - maybe she's got a screw loose somewhere. And, finally, 23andMe could settle this in about 5 days - although, clearly, there's not much to settle.

[@DavidBerlinguette]

“Deeply hurtful”, but inaccurate? Her response seems strategically vague.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

My grandpa was a strong believer of indigenous rights and history, and died in 2006 having proudly proclaimed his Cherokee or Choctaw heritage his entire life... only for his kids to get DNA tests in the last few years that indicate nothing but Scandinavian and British genes. People have always 'identified with what they feel' because we didn't have any technical ways to prove otherwise, and families can be mistaken or just flat-out lie to their own members.

[@savethenacktschnecke]

I cannot possibly know the truth, but there is a common misconception that if you have an ancestor of a certain ethnicity, that ethnicity will automatically show in the offsprings DNA-Test. That is not the case, however. Especially if the ethnicity in question is “watered down” over the generations the chance of it just not passing on to the next generation at all grows, yet they are still your ancestors just as much. Sure, it would only be a small percentage anyways, but still.

[@geinikan1kan]

I think Saint-Marie's case is a bit more deliberate.

[@tenten2776]

but thats not what happened in this case. she knew where she came from, as did her family, and as showed all the paper wrk.

[@bovellois]

@@tenten2776 for sure, she attended university and got a degree in her home state, she can't claim illiteracy.

[@fj2201]

@@geinikan1kan What do you think spurred her on?

[@bovellois]

The stereotype hair parted in the middle, the artificially darker skin tan, as well as the regalia and jewels to look native are an insult to all the indigenous people in the world who suffer extreme discrimination and hate for a physical appearance that serves to stigmatize them. Ask the Metis of Manitoba how they were made to feel throughout the 20th century because of their tanned skin, dark hair and attachment to the land. For that matter, the indigenous people living in Peru, Guatemala and dozens of other Latin American countries suffer far worse discrimination from their own citizens than the ones in Canada, because their countries are much poorer so they get the lowest paying and hardest jobs, if any. They mostly survive on subsistence farming and begging in the streets.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Facts not allowed.

[@vickielewallen3799]

Accepting awards *meant* for Indigenous People, is the worst thing, if its true--IF she is Italian (and knew it). Time will tell (But a simple dna test would tell faster..)

[@joan-lisa-smith]

If you watch the doc on it her sister (that she claims is her adopted sister) did a blood test that showed she is genetically related to Buffy's son which is impossible if Buffy was adopted. Her Italian "adopted parents" are her real parents and her sister her real sister!

[@vegandolls]

it's not ' time will tell'. She's a straight up liar - her whole family lives in America. She was born and raised here. It's not a ' maybe'

[@raedawn7991]

If Buffy is lying she better come forward it's a bit creepy cause so many Artists have taken a backseat because of her ❤

[@jasonmoser8957]

@frozenwarning very not complicated.

[@rachell8661]

She is in complete denial. She believes her lies at this point.

[@BlackGuardXIII]

There is no ‘if’. They proved she’s been knowingly lying for 60 years.

[@afonphoenix16]

It's PROVEN she was lying. There is no if.🤷

[@BlackGuardXIII]

@frozenwarningshe knowingly lied, calling her own mother not her mother.

[@AndySabola11]

Can't condemn the positives she has done. Inventing a false background & history as your persona is deeply pathological.

[@cupguin]

It seems like a very similar story to Grey Owl. He was arguably a Canadian hero in addition to being a Pretendian. More accurately called Archibald Stansfeld Belaney he fought for Canada in WWI while claiming to be "Indian" which his fellow soldiers knew about him. You can read WWI white Canadians complimenting him as an "Indian" soldier from that era. He had some difficulties after the war but later he devoted himself to the cause of preserving Canada's wilderness and raising awareness about how important conservation was. He was a very complex person with a huge number of flaws but still did a lot of good.

[@jo-annejohnson4320]

Something wrong with the St Marie family.

[@tammydesmoulin6562]

People claiming to be indigenous would not claim to be indigenous if they had to live the pain and price we pay to be indigenous in Canada.

[@principleoutdoors8932]

Do we want "Truth" and reconciliation or just reconciliation now

[@nicholasbogosian5420]

exactly

[@ein-rw7uy]

I call it selective truth.

[@ahill4642]

🤔 or “truths”? or, as Buffy calls it, “my truth” 👀 . I wonder whatever happened to The Truth… and a DNA test might bring The Truth to light.

[@ianhowdin993]

Truth will do. If it shames her, that's just tough for her!

[@Starfish2145]

She’s STILL lying ! 🤦‍♀️

[@dm95422]

She's a liberal who supports Trudeau....that alone should be enough.

[@patriciabrant8037]

Curious since Buffy was "adopted" by a cree family. Did the Canadian govt Indian act grant Buffy a status card with a number? Benefits tax breaks the ability to hold land title on her adopted family reserve lands. Does Buffy have these benefits? This wasn't addressed.

[@patriciabrant8037]

The Canadian govt doesn't do DNA testing. For status cards.

[@patriciabrant8037]

I agree if that native family adopted Buffy legally and not some ceremonial adoption. She would be entitled to the status. They need to dig deeper on this. Let's not leave this half investigated. Tell us the whole truth. My husband family is native so I have a idea of how this status works.

[@carmenmccauley585]

​@@patriciabrant8037watch the Fifth Estate program. She was not "legally" adopted by anyone ever. Not her parents in the states nor the FN family.

[@catherinehazur7336]

​​@@patriciabrant8037but Buffy claimed to be Cree First Nations long before she was adopted by the Piapot couple. By BIRTH not by ADOPTION. Fine if she wants to be adopted by them but that doesnt make her retroactively indigineous. She appears to be hiding behind a ginormous toxic smokescreen of fabrications, allegations, intimidations, litigations, posturing, profiteering, pandering, etc. Bottom line is that she is old and it is clear that she will give answer to the Creator someday soon.

[@chrisgs9205]

YES DNA NOW... the red flag 😒 "no point intended" for me was that we, most first nations people, never really try hard to be native. Unlike this lady who really tried hard to be native by wearing the eagle feathers, the buckskins, the chokers etc., the whole basket got me wondering. Yes i know, thats no big deal however, ive seen this act before. BUT if I'm wrong... my bad, 😂😯 if I'm right SHAME on you buffy & Weird 🤔🤒

[@Lemmingadventures]

As a white man, I'm always told that i have "privilege" because of my skin color and gender. But my life sucks compared to hers. She received fame, recognition and a career because people thought she was of indigenous ancestry. Sounds like she lived a life of privilege because people thought she was something she wasn't.

[@jontwest]

@Lemmingadv exactly right - without her poc-privilege card, she’d be a nobody. As to who spreads the false claim of Y te privilege, they’re a group who want us ended

[@Angelenowithacamera]

She is a pretty awesome singer and song writer! I think that is why she had some fame. But she isn't huge. Just folkies like me even know who she is.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@AngelenowithacameraYou are certain she is the original author or like Dylan a consummate plagiarist.

[@thenavajoknow]

You'll find Pretendians almost entirely in the arts and academia, because that's the only spaces in the US (and other Western societies) where the status as an "exotic" and victimized minority group may get you some extra attention / respect / opportunity.

[@crosstatt7441]

Buffy shamed the Indigenous Americans, but also both Canada and the US. Even knocking White people, too!

[@PHASES_OFFICIAL]

I think she got caught in a lie a long time ago and trapped herself with the world watching and shes been slowly and silently spiraling out of control. She tried to do as much good as she could while this happened and I don't think she meant it, I believe shes mentally ill.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Go watch the show

[@vegandolls]

threatening your brother with false molestation charges to hide your lie isn't mental illness. It's evil

[@autumnmoonfire3944]

I’m not native and this is just a screen name. I think that she was asked one too many times as a young woman if she was of native decent, something showed her that she could say she was, and she took the lie and ran with it. The longer it existed the more vital it was that she maintain the facade as, otherwise her life will fall apart. Now the lie is exposed, she’s hiding in Hawaii in retirement and if she had any class at all she would hand back all the stolen valor and accolades, on that I look to be amazed. I’m of the opinion that if there isn’t a clean paper trail then DNA testing may help to establish veracity, I’d hate to see a precedent set making it mandatory for all. That has a LOT of ewww attached to it.

[@LikwidSnake]

So serious question, as long as someone kicks open the doors and does positive things for a community they can falsely pretend to be a MEMBER of that community? And even threaten their REAL family with false allegations to maintain the lie. Is that ok? Doesn't seem like it should be. But I guess it's a good conversation on what is and isn't allowed this day and age.

[@Chef_Alpo]

If people don't understand gender anymore why should race be off limits. No question mark for that one.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

This is her new lie now that's she's been caught, it's changed a few times now. How convenient that now she says her mother had an affair and she wasn't really adopted now that her parents are dead and can't speak up. This woman is a piece of work! @frozenwarning

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Yes the letter where the brother is mentioning to the father other lies she has told? Buffy said a lot of things, none of them true as he also mentions and they all agree there's something seriously wrong with her. All the other stuff you are on about are not in the doc, it's you parroting what Buffy has claimed at various times and her word only which the paperwork ALL invalidates. The public record is shown and it shows she's lying. End of.@frozenwarning

[@LikwidSnake]

@frozenwarning Ohhhh ok, so she muddied the waters enough for people to just believe she's indigenous. That's fine. Probably should be expected after a good 63 years of living a lie.

[@maxalberts2003]

@frozenwarning People love to play judge and jury with celebrities. Particularly JEALOUS people.

[@lemorab1]

How has this taken so long to come out? When Buffy Sainte Marie was first emerging in about 1965, how did she hide her real Italian family in Massachusetts? Did they all just keep quiet? And how about schoolmates, childhood friends, siblings, cousins, etc.? I wonder how this has stayed a secret for so long.

[@mannywilliams6409]

Something was happening in 1965 America (Vietnam War), so I don't think most people gave much thought to what she was doing in Canada. As to the time after that I cannot guess as to why.

[@jiminhart]

Watch the doc. Her white family tried to tell the public that she wasn't indigenous, but she bullied them into silence.

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Apparently she has threatened family for years to keep quiet (what the ones still alive have said).

[@lemorab1]

@@joan-lisa-smith She has threatened them..... okay, keep quiet or she'll do what!? Withhold free tickets to her concerts? It's improbable that this has never come out until now. I loved her music back in the 1960's. I heard my first Joni Mitchell song when Buffy's cover of "The Circle Game" hit AM pop radio. She was always wearing native dress, jewelry, feathers, the works on her album covers. She made a huge deal about her Cree ancestry. When committees were considering her for all those awards, nobody did a deep dive into her background? Another story put out at that time from the Buffy camp was she had very delicate health and suffered from mysterious illnesses. I guess that was also not true?

[@joan-lisa-smith]

A male relative says she said she would lie and say her committed SA on her, so ya...threatened them. They know she can make up anything and most will buy it and it could ruin their lives. DNA doesn't lie, her "adopted sister" is blood related to her son which means her adoption story is a lie. Now she's hinting that her mom cheated on her dad with a native guy to cover her tracks, come on. Which is it? She's a manipulative narcissist and/or delusional. @@lemorab1

[@theholidaylady1]

I was the harmony singer for Jerry Alfred and The Medicine Beat. Jerry is a native of Pelly Crossing, Yukon. Our second album was nominated for a Juno for the best indigenous recording in 1997 and Buffy won! I would like to see Jerry and which ever other indigenous artists who were up for the award, have fair treatment and Buffy have her award taken away and the next artist in line, get the Juno!!

[@MsLinda165]

Big fan of Don Amero; and classy response to this shocking news. Don's talent got him to where he is, and his decency.

[@terryirvine2472]

She is not Canadian For that reason alone the Juno should be taken away

[@catfish542]

Buffy is an imposter

[@chowmarina008]

My mom told me long ago that there was always an underlying talk that she was not indigenous or not pure blood she told me this in the 80s. Then again Buffy doesnt look like the rest of her family and she can pass for indihenous so i dont know.

[@mr.gorgeous8354]

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

[@jeffhildreth9244]

BS Dylan kept going. Can't claim the title of the world's greatest plagiarist (Did not know there was a Nobel Prize for Plagiarism) unless you continue to do so. Look up his fraudulent paintings he claimed were originals.

[@mr.gorgeous8354]

@@jeffhildreth9244 yikes…aggressive

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@mr.gorgeous8354 Facts tend to be just that facts. Nothing aggressive about it. Consider Zimmerman's continued plagiarism, that is aggressive. Joni Mitchell had it right when she exposed him decades ago as a fraud.

[@alvinmanalaysay839]

With the DNA technology available today determining ethnicity should not be a problem. Having the will to require that sort of proof; that's a different question.

[@kevincharbonneau5953]

Maybe she 'identifies' as a two-spirited trans man and everything will be o.k. again 😂

[@fghelmke]

Thousands of babies in Brazil were adopted like that: adoptive parents register them as if they were their own baby. Totally normal during those times.

[@BrianRS1968]

DNA test would settle this in one motion; is she related to the USA family or the Saskatchewan familly. It can not be both.

[@yogiine]

Its done. Her chidren is in family with her american/italian parents and her siblings.

[@mikehaws3187]

60 year hoax. Many of her family tried to correct the record. 60 years. Omg

[@paigewillow8768]

How the hell did she get canadian citizenship? If she ever had. That needs deep investigation.

[@d102y]

Hilarious, a lot of people claiming to be indigenous are not. There is a reason for that. MONEY!!!!

[@adrienne4091]

My heart broke when I finally succumbed to the truth. "Bury my heart at wounded knee, deep in the earth. Cover me with pretty lies."

[@faithallen1169]

She's an American citizen, NOT an Indigenous Indian from Canada. Ridiculous.

[@nwilliams2137]

She does not even regret stealing from real indigenous artists. Pretty sad Bluffy Santa Maria…

[@frakismaximus3052]

Now, if only the CBC could approach the "residential school mass graves" with the same rigor.

[@paddlefar9175]

They talk it about all the time CBC Radio

[@frakismaximus3052]

@@paddlefar9175 so they are talking about the fact that more than two years on, not one set of bones has been produced?

[@paddlefar9175]

@@frakismaximus3052 Well there is no doubt some of these places talked about, they are finding signs that there is burial areas, but of adults as well, not just children and where the grave markers are long rotted away, the Church or Schools claim that they don’t know who is buried there. I guess they want to find out what kids are buried there and what they died of. I suspect a lot of them did die from poor health, diphtheria, mumps, measles, polio, etc., but whenever Catholic Church (or the Anglican Church ) is inappropriately mixed with the School system or with the residential schools especially, there are suspicions, and for very good reason.

[@frakismaximus3052]

@paddlefar9175 fair comments, and it would be nice if the media started approaching the issue with similar objectivity rather than the hysteria that they usually do.

[@traceymicolucci1151]

Many people in the US are completely unaware of this.

[@noelbarrett8310]

What a fraud 😟 and so hurtful to her own family! There should be consequences for lies and deceitfulness.

[@astroemerald3175]

Very simply this controversey is for Buffy to have a DNA test period .

[@ericlehman6841]

A DNA test won't tell you everything. However, you can learn a lot from it.

[@TheKAWYG]

Hahahahaha wtf nevermind she not native ... but she's not even canadian hahahaha wow .

[@jaysky2000]

Why not take DNA samples to verify ancestry ... like regular folks do?!

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

Perhaps all who recieve the benefits should take one. Lots of blue and green eyes out there

[@SweetUniverse]

Well, now we know why she's always wearing dark makeup

[@sefghimassi8600]

Don Amero and his colleagues should have won the Juno....Amero is very charitable toward Buffy, despite her fraud. He shows the type of generosity of spirit that Beverly Jean Santa Maria never showed to her own family. Let's rescind Beverly's awards and give them to Indigenous artists, like Amero.

[@markhirstwood4190]

Forcing big smiles, wearing feathers, showing more lower teeth while talking, being socially adopted into a native family... does not make one native. She's Italian, English and Irish heritage American. Famous relatives include William Brewster, Paget Brewster, Chevy Chase and others.

[@TransoceanicOutreach]

MAMA MIA, WHADD-A MISTAKE-A TO MAKE-A! Her surname is Santa-Maria and she looks completely italian. A criminal italian-american, shocking.

[@loriwoloshyn7266]

If this is true...for shame.

[@n09p]

Is it bad that I don’t believe she’s a good singer? I know she’s not indigenous like she claimed but it sounds so fake when she’s singing, almost like a mockery of indigenous people. I’ve heard more beautiful voices from indigenous people that deserve a platform like that.

[@SweetUniverse]

The Fifth Estate documentary was deeply truthful

[@lorraineskinner8686]

Give back all the rewards you stole

[@merledietrich9168]

Yes Buffy, if you're truly native, do the DNA test . Your birth certificate and your white Italian family is saying something different .

[@americanhotdog]

The Juno's are a joke award show

[@dm95422]

Bluffy Fake Marie.......She turned out to be a phony poser. Shocker !

[@cinemar]

She's a charlatan and her response to the accusations is as predictable as ever seeing herself as a victim.

[@samhunt9380]

No thought of using DNA? If she is what she claims, there would be no issue, surely?

[@chadpescod-realtor3308]

Grey Owl.

[@frakismaximus3052]

He was great!

[@ValleyoftheRogue]

Archie Baloney and Bluffy Santamaria. A perfect pair.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Shes a suburban Italian-English broad from Boston! Haha!😅

[@XBKLYN]

Ok Buffy...time to hide the Kirkland Tan-in-a-Bottle stuff.

[@DGill48]

"Calls into question her claims..." is an understatement. The documentary essentially proves she's NOT native.

[@candacehill1532]

A classic sociopath I always had a feeling about her ..

[@gregrogers4376]

In Buffy's case DNA stands for "Dat's Not Aboriginal".

[@rosemorin81]

What's wrong; there is Dna to proof 🤔 ...I always wondered 🤔 she doesn't look cree

[@rachell8661]

She looks Sicilian. Like Lady Gaga lol. Super Italian.

[@HanifBarnwell]

Why did her son actively “out” Buffy, his bread crumbs are all over social media - are they estranged as well?

[@madelainepetrin1430]

Probably. When you throw your parents under the bus, you probably do the same to your kids.

[@HanifBarnwell]

@@madelainepetrin1430 true

[@ahill4642]

Her family is probably bombarded with questions about her ancestry all the time and maybe they’re sick of BS-ing people on her behalf.

[@madelainepetrin1430]

@ahill4642 Most families have at least one oddball. It's just that this one made it big. If I was her, I'd say:" Dolly got the boobs and wigs, I got the feathers and wig, a girl does what she can to be noticed."

[@HanifBarnwell]

@@ahill4642 nailed it

[@benashii]

I uesd to love buffy but now I dont believe in her anymore.

[@dcross6360]

She's just a poor Italian girl from Boston...

[@saraxdouglas8577]

Buffy needs to stop her lies & apologize for her years old grift........I saw her birth certificate & she's no native. ♥️☮️🙏

[@SweettoothMarie77]

Buffy took up space that wasnt meant for her😢

[@derek04151]

What do you even say ? It's going to take a long time for people to process this.

[@pou618]

It's good this came out while she's still alive. Now she knows we know. A disgrace to indigenous people, the people of Canada and for lying about her family telling everyone her "adoptive" parents were dead.

[@TheGreedyHand]

She's an old Italian lady leave her alone

[@pauldubuc4320]

All she needs to do is take a DNA test. That's all, lol

[@jmont1031]

Face it. People do not like being lied to.

[@Joe-ym6bw]

She's an Italian from Boston

[@Starfish2145]

DNA tests will tell you who’s indigenous and what percentage

[@americanhotdog]

She's an old Italian lady, leave her alone....

[@MiloCarrete]

I'm Mexican and I can tell very quickly who have Native American ancestry, I was certainly confused with her facial physiognomy but didn't cared because I loved her music, I saw her as an indigenous flag, as a hero. Now I don't think that "Star Walker" will resonate like before.

[@rosemorin81]

Same here...No cree in her at all.

[@boomer31]

Can’t tell by looks only , my nephews are both indigenous, one is fair haired with blue eyes , looks like his father, his brother looks like his native mother, dark hair , darker skin , but they are both both indigenous.

[@fj2201]

@@boomer31 What indigenous groups have fair hair and blue eyes as common traits?

[@boomer31]

@@fj2201 huh ? One son looks like his white father , one looks like his native mother, they are both equally indigenous. Get it

[@boomer31]

My point is you can’t tell if someone is indigenous just from looking at them

[@Dobviews]

Buffy needs to be CANCELLED!

[@StreetFig]

fake it until you make it

[@coolworx]

She's an Italian from the suburbs of Boston. Just like Joe Rogan!

[@EMVelez]

Joe has nothing to do with this. Lol.

[@evelyneyahpaise729]

DNA WILL TELL THE TRUTH!!!! WHAT SHE DID WAS HARMFUL TO HER REAL FAMILY , HER MOTHER ESPECIALLY!!!

[@patriciastutz9301]

DNA test will solve it

[@johndoe-lm7ji]

She was taking away from real Native Americans.

[@Wondwind]

It’s the lies that are the problem. You can identify with a culture. You can assimilate into a culture, but your ancestry is your ancestry. Period.

[@alanthiercelin5218]

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a white woman adopted by natives. Her indian name is goosebumps cougar.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

I "pinned" her as a fraud around 1964 and was chastised as a consequence... and here we are. Right up there with the world's greatest plagiarist, Bobby Zimmerman. Joni had it right.

[@iracohen3864]

One could have sympathy for her after being exposed, but her nasty threasts of destroying her family if they say anything shows her to be less than a decent woman. But Indigenous people now don;t have to worry that she is csating"her peoiple" in a bid light...now Italians will have to speak about that...Signora Santa Maria,