Shockwaves swept across Turtle Island this past week with the revelation that possibly one of the most revered Indigenous Canadian icons of the 20th Century—isn’t—well, apparently on both counts. Award winning singer/songwriter, tireless advocate for Indigenous rights, Buffy Sainte-Marie, or Santamaria, is a powerhouse whose work over the course of more than six decades has garnered accolades from all corners has fallen, toppled from a pedestal upon which she was worshipped by a relentless journalistic quest for the truth—whether we wanted it or not.
The CBC ripped the rose-coloured glasses from our eyes and exposed us to an ugly truth—and we don’t like it, not one little bit. In online social media posts and media-solicited pundit commentary the overarching emotion being expressed has been an immense sense of betrayal.
There are those who say the CBC should not have foisted this terrible vision upon us. They point to her status as a respected elder, the immense body of her advocacy work, the role she plays as a vicarious model for aspiring young Indigenous youth. They speak of Ms. Saint-Marie’s status as an adopted member of a Cree Nation (that very same nation whose members, according to some, came to Manitoulin to teach traditional powwow dances to a resurgent Anishinaabe culture) should stand as a shield against exposure to the brutal media wind. They point to “shoddy” journalism, or the possibility of forgery, ignoring the fact that the two main investigators themselves are Indigenous. Denial is among the first reactions to betrayal—say it isn’t true.
Members of the dominant culture in this country have watched in recent years as the statues of “our” national heroes’ have been toppled and hidden away from view, their names pried from buildings and street signs in a new age of revulsion and dismissal into the dustbin of history. But the pain caused by the revelations of those heroes’ onerous shortcomings and the reassessment of their right to stand upon those pedestals upon which we have placed them is blunted by the passage of time. This pain sears all the more deeply because the sense of betrayal is here, it is now.
Those of us standing on the sidelines should take no pleasure in that pain. Most of us have felt the sting of betrayal at some point in our lives, but few can match the depth of what the Anishinaabe community is going through today. It is a time for patience, understanding and compassion for those on both sides of the debate.
Unlike a number of the “pretendians” that have been exposed in recent years, Ms. Saint-Marie’s accomplishments in the main have not been enhanced by her Indigeneity. Her stardom was achieved, again, in the main, through talent, hard work and determination. She did not get her Oscar in a special category reserved for Indigenous songwriters—but she did prove that an Indigenous artist can reach the very pinnacle of success (even if her Indigenous credentials are later proven to not go skin deep). She did not compete to displace a worthy, more authentic, Anishinaabe kwe for a grant or opportunity. Unlike many unveiled “pretendians” who climbed their ladders to success with a “hand-up” from a claim to race.
The vast majority of star biographies from the golden age of Hollywood are largely works of fiction with little or no basis in reality. Those biographies may have applied a layer “polish” to a public image, but they were not built on authenticity and did not add a single iota of talent into the mix. Sadly, much of Buffy Saint-Marie’s “shine” has been tarnished and that somehow diminishes us all.
The lesson here is, perhaps, to stop looking backward and instead set gaze to the future and seek to create a better and more authentic world. No hero can long stand the test of close scrutiny. Each of us is human, with failings, shortcomings and our own coats of tarnish. At the same time we should not revile those who hold up a mirror or pull back the curtain to reveal the truth—however painful truth may be.
The Piapot Nation has embraced Ms. Saint-Marie as one of their own citizens and enfolded her into their family and continue to stand firmly by their decision. If one truly believes in the sanctity of First Nation sovereignty—that should be enough for those of us standing outside of the circle. As Drew Hayden Taylor has publicly remarked in response to the controversy, “the sun will rise tomorrow.”
