Her official biography on the organization’s website still states, “Born into a Cree family on the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan in 1941, Beverly Sainte-Marie was raised by relatives in the Eastern USA.”
Cultural Impact and Legacy
In 2015, Sainte-Marie won the Polaris Music Prize for Power in the Blood, an album that was highly praised by Canadian music critics. Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp in her honor in 2021.
The following year, the Toronto International Film Festival premiered Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On, a documentary directed by Madison Thomas.
The film won a 2023 International Emmy Award and two Canadian Screen Awards.
The Ongoing Debate
On November 3, 2023, the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation issued a statement of support for Sainte-Marie.
“The SSHF Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and Staff unanimously stand by Buffy Sainte-Marie as an ally and advocate for the Sixties Scoop Survivor constituents of the Foundation, whether or not she is herself an actual Sixties Scoop Survivor.”
