For the past year and a half, the indigenous Canadian identity of the veteran folksinger Buffy Sainte-Marie has been under serious question. Sainte-Marie claimed Native heritage and took activist stances for her entire career, but a 2023 CBC documentary exposé looked at accusations that she’s really white and American and that she invented her identity. At the time, Sainte-Marie responded that she was “proud of my Indigenous-American identity, and the deep ties I have to Canada and my Piapot family,” and that the accusations were “beyond traumatic.” Last month, Sainte-Marie was stripped of the Order Of Canada, which she was awarded in 1997. Now, more of Sainte-Marie’s awards have been rescinded.
The Independent reports that the 84-year-old Buffy Sainte-Marie returned her Order Of Canada and made a statement earlier this week. Over the years, Sainte-Marie’s biographical information said that she was born on the Piapot Cree First Nations Reserve in Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. While returning her Order Of Canada, Sainte-Marie admitted that she’s an American citizen with a US passport, claiming that she was adopted by a Cree family in Saskatchewan when she was a young woman. She said, “It was very lovely to host the medals for a while, but I return them with a good heart.” She also said that she made her citizenship “completely clear” to Canadian officials when she was asked to sing for Queen Elizabeth in 1977: “I’ve never treated my citizenship as a secret and most of my friends and relatives in Canada have known I’m American, and it’s never been an issue.”
As Billboard reports, the Polaris Music Prize has responded by taking back the two awards that Buffy Sainte-Marie won. Sainte-Marie won the annual prize for her 2015 album Power In The Blood, and she also earned a Polaris Heritage Prize for her album It’s My Way! in 2020. In a statement today, the Polaris Prize organization says, “Based on Sainte-Marie’s statement, Buffy does not meet Polaris Music Prize’s rules and regulations. Given Buffy’s statement regarding her citizenship, Polaris Music Prize will be rescinding all awards, including her 2015 Polaris Music Prize and 2020 Heritage Prize.”
Billboard also reports that the Juno Awards have rescinded all of Sainte-Marie’s awards, as well as her induction into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, under the rationale that Sainte-Marie is not really Canadian. In a statement, CARAS, the Junos’ governing body, explained the decision:
This decision is not a reflection of Ms. Sainte-Marie’s artistic contributions but ensures that CARAS celebrates and honours artists who meet the criteria. While this decision aligns with longstanding criteria, we acknowledge the impact it may have.
Buffy Sainte-Marie has been a strong supporter and advocate for Canadian music, and we acknowledge the past contributions she has made to our organization. However, CARAS’ mandate is to educate, develop, celebrate, and honour Canadian artists. Maintaining the integrity of this process is essential to ensuring the organization continues to fulfill its purpose.
Sainte-Marie was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1995, and she won the Juno Humanitarian Award in 2015 and Indigenous Music Album of the Year for Medicine Songs in 2018. Sainte-Marie still has the Oscar that she won for co-writing Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes’ “Up Where We Belong.”