Canadian Documentary Reveals Surprising Evidence About Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Background
A shocking revelation has emerged in a Canadian documentary that suggests singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, who is widely celebrated as an indigenous icon, may not have been born in Canada to a Cree woman, as she has claimed. The documentary presents evidence, including official documents and family interviews, that Sainte-Marie was actually born in Stoneham, Massachusetts to a white couple.
The documentary, which has caused quite a stir, also alleges that the Oscar winner accused her older brother of sexual abuse. This accusation came about after he informed producers for Sesame Street that she was misrepresenting her family history and heritage.
According to CBC News, the documentary presents a birth certificate for Sainte-Marie, which shows that she was indeed born in Stoneham in 1941, not in Canada. Furthermore, the birth certificate states that both her parents were white. Sainte-Marie, 82, had previously stated that she was removed from her birthplace by the Canadian government and subsequently adopted by Albert and Winifred Santamaria, who raised her in New England.
The Canadian news outlet also obtained an insurance policy taken out by Winifred Santamaria for Buffy, under the name Beverly, which confirms her place of birth as Stoneham in 1941. Her older brother, Alan, also listed the same birthplace in his military enrollment papers in 1956. An additional marriage certificate from 1982, signed by Buffy Saint-Marie and obtained from Los Angeles County, further supports the claim that she was born in Massachusetts.
Niece Heidi St. Marie, who is Alan’s daughter, stated, “She’s clearly not Indigenous or Native American. Nobody except for Buffy ever talked about Buffy being adopted.” This raises questions about the authenticity of Sainte-Marie’s claims of indigenous heritage.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that doubts have been raised about Sainte-Marie’s background. CBC uncovered a 1964 article from the Wakefield Daily Item in which her paternal uncle disputed a Look magazine profile that described Buffy as Indian. The uncle was quoted as saying, “She doesn’t sound in this magazine story like the girl who grew up here. She has no Indian blood in her.”
The CBC also acquired a letter that the singer wrote to her brother, in which she angrily responded to his supposed revelations to a PBS producer that she was white. In the letter, Sainte-Marie accused her brother of sexual abuse throughout her childhood and threatened to expose him. She later publicly accused him of abuse, but only after his death.
In anticipation of the documentary’s release, Sainte-Marie released a statement in which she expressed her deep hurt over the allegations. She acknowledged that she does not know her birth parents or where she is from. However, she stressed the importance of her connection to the indigenous community and her lifelong advocacy for indigenous causes.
Her attorney, Josephine de Whytell, defended Sainte-Marie, stating that she has never misrepresented her ancestry or personal history to the public. De Whytell also downplayed the significance of the birth certificate, highlighting that adoptive children in Massachusetts often received new birth certificates with their adoptive parents’ names.
Nevertheless, the CBC argues that the birth certificates in Stoneham were numbered chronologically, with Sainte-Marie’s number indicating it was filed in 1941. This adds weight to the evidence suggesting that the iconic indigenous singer was indeed born in Massachusetts to a white couple.
As the controversy surrounding Buffy Sainte-Marie’s heritage continues to unfold, many are eagerly awaiting her response to the documentary’s revelations.