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FYI

Investigation Questions Buffy Sainte-Marie's Indigenous Identity

A new Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) investigation calls into question the Indigenous identity of singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Investigation Questions Buffy Sainte-Marie's Indigenous Identity

By External Source

A new Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) investigation calls into question the Indigenous identity of singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. It’s already opened up a broad conversation about identity and appropriation.


Sainte-Marie is one of Canada’s most decorated musicians. The artist and activist has won the Polaris Music Prize, multiple Juno Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song and is the recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.

She was named Billboard’s Best New Artist in 1964. She’s been recognized as a champion of Indigenous rights internationally, from the stage to Sesame Street, where she educated children about Indigenous culture starting in the mid-1970s.

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The documentary, however, says some of Sainte-Marie’s family members believe her claim to Indigenous heritage “is built on an elaborate fabrication.”

The bombshell investigation aired last Friday (Oct. 27) on the YouTube channel of the program The Fifth Estate and is available to stream on CBC Gem. – Richard Trapunski’s Billboard Canada story continues here.  

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Cowboys Fringants
Cowboys Fringants
Cowboys Fringants
Chart Beat

Les Cowboys Fringants Debut ‘Merci ben!’ on the Billboard Canada AC Airplay Chart

The track from the Quebec band enters at No. 30 over a year after its release, picking up steam on the radio airwaves. Ariane Moffatt's “Jouer” also reaches a new peak, marking the second consecutive week with two charting French songs.

French-language music makes its mark on the Canadian charts this week.

Les Cowboys Fringants have made their latest Billboard debut with their song “Merci ben!” which arrives at No. 30 on the Canada AC chart for May 10. The country-folk track finds the band thanking its fans while reminiscing on its beginnings and milestones, from playing small bars to sold-out arenas. The track’s title is Quebec jargon for “Thank you very much!”

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