CBC says legendary musician Buffy Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 birth certificate, other documents and details from family members contradict the singerB次元官网网址檚 claim that she is Indigenous.

Sainte-Marie said Thursday ahead of the report that she doesnB次元官网网址檛 know who her birth parents are or where sheB次元官网网址檚 from.

She called herself B次元官网网址渁 proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.B次元官网网址�

CBC located her birth certificate, which says Sainte-Marie was born in 1941 in Stoneham, Mass., and the document lists the baby and parents as white.

CBC says Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 marriage certificate, a life insurance policy and a United States census corroborate the information on the birth certificate.

Family members in the U.S., including Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 younger sister, told the public broadcaster that Sainte-Marie was not adopted and does not have Indigenous ancestry.

Indigenous people are grappling with doubts over singer Buffy Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 First Nations bona fides after a CBC story Friday raised questions about her Indigenous ancestry and renewed debate about who gets to speak for whom.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like telling people Santa Claus doesnB次元官网网址檛 exist,B次元官网网址� said Tracy Robinson, member of the Indigenous WomenB次元官网网址檚 Collective.

B次元官网网址淲ho does that?B次元官网网址�

Sainte-Marie said Thursday ahead of the CBC report that she doesnB次元官网网址檛 know who her birth parents are and she considers herself B次元官网网址渁 proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.B次元官网网址�

Many defend the much-loved musician, saying sheB次元官网网址檚 never used Indigenous heritage to get ahead and has long and strong ties with a Saskatchewan Cree community.

But others say if Sainte-Marie is lying about her past, it silences those who did suffer wrongs.

B次元官网网址淚t takes away our authentic voice and takes away spaces from Indigenous people who really need that,B次元官网网址� said Crystal Semaganis, a survivor of the B次元官网网址�60s Scoop, which refers to the thousands of Indigenous children who were adopted into families far from their original culture.

Controversies over so-called B次元官网网址減retendiansB次元官网网址� have erupted in recent years, with critics saying they take opportunities and resources away from those for whom they were meant.

Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 case is different, said Eleanore Sunchild, an Indigenous lawyer and professor.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a big difference between people who know theyB次元官网网址檙e not Indigenous but continue the false narrative and people like Buffy who honestly donB次元官网网址檛 know where they originate.B次元官网网址�

Far from benefiting, Sainte-Marie has taken risks because of what she believed to be her identity, Sunchild said.

B次元官网网址淪he was advocating when it was dangerous to be an advocate. She put herself on the front lines.B次元官网网址�

As well, Sainte-Marie has long and intimate ties with what she calls her home community of Piapot First Nation, northeast of Regina.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 always going to be our auntie and thereB次元官网网址檚 nothing anyone can do about it,B次元官网网址� said niece Ntawnis Piapot.

Piapot said her family supports Sainte-Marie and she dismissed CBCB次元官网网址檚 presentation of the singerB次元官网网址檚 American birth certificate as B次元官网网址渃olonial record-keeping.B次元官网网址�

Sunchild also questioned the document, saying many such records from that era were falsified.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e seen adoptees with birth certificates with names and locations that match the locations of the adoptive parents,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 know that the records arenB次元官网网址檛 accurate.B次元官网网址�

But being adopted into a family isnB次元官网网址檛 the same as being appointed to speak on behalf of anyone, said Indigenous writer and journalist Drew Hayden Taylor.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 their right,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut can that member of my family speak for the entire Indigenous nation? ThatB次元官网网址檚 another discussion.B次元官网网址�

Still, he argued that Indigenous communities get to decide on their membership.

B次元官网网址淚t used to be the dominant culture got to decide everything. ThatB次元官网网址檚 changing now.B次元官网网址�

Something may be amiss with Sainte-MarieB次元官网网址檚 account of her past, he added.

B次元官网网址淲here thereB次元官网网址檚 smoke, thereB次元官网网址檚 fire. A good chunk of the Canadian Indigenous community are Buffy fans and this is casting a big dark cloud over that community.B次元官网网址�

The story, if true, is painful, he said.

B次元官网网址淚t does do harm. I think thereB次元官网网址檚 just as much done if the truth isnB次元官网网址檛 exposed.B次元官网网址�

The singerB次元官网网址檚 social media feed was dozens deep Friday with posts expressing support, and Hayden Taylor said Sainte-Marie is more than loved by many Indigenous people.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 spent so many years in the hearts of North American Indigenous people, I donB次元官网网址檛 think this will affect her (stature) at all.B次元官网网址�

The Indigenous WomenB次元官网网址檚 Collective has exposed other cases of dubious identity, but Robinson called the CBC story an B次元官网网址渦ninvited truthB次元官网网址� that comes from outside the Indigenous community. She fears debate over its conclusions could divide Indigenous people.

B次元官网网址淭his is traumatizing people because itB次元官网网址檚 uninvited truth. Indigenous people are feeling attacked.

B次元官网网址淭he only thing we can really learn from this is about ourselves and our propensity to divide ourselves.B次元官网网址�

Semaganis said Sainte-Marie can continue to be a beacon of creativity and human rights, but the picture may have to change.

B次元官网网址淓verybody loves Buffy Sainte-Marie. I love Buffy Sainte-Marie. The songs that she wrote did come from a spiritual place, and I honour her Piapot family that adopted her.

B次元官网网址淚 know itB次元官网网址檚 going to take a while for my people to come to terms with it, but I hope that people make space in their lives for the truth, and we can still continue to love Sainte-Marie.B次元官网网址�

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