Front Burner

Buffy Sainte-Marie's Indigenous ancestry challenged

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s claim to Indigenous ancestry is being contradicted by genealogical documentation, historical research and personal accounts.
A portrait of a woman wearing a colourful shirt in front of a gray wall.
Buffy Sainte-Marie, a musician known for decades of Indigenous activism, says she's always been honest that she doesn't know the identity of her birth parents ahead of a CBC News report questioning her ancestry. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Buffy Sainte-Marie's claims to Indigenous ancestry are being contradicted by members of the iconic singer-songwriter's own family and an extensive CBC investigation from The Fifth Estate, making her the latest high-profile public figure whose ancestry story has been contradicted by genealogical documentation, historical research and personal accounts.

Geoff Leo is a senior Investigative Reporter with CBC Saskatchewan.

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