Buffy Sainte-Marie stripped of Juno, Polaris music awards
Buffy Sainte-Marie, the iconic musician, has recently been stripped of her Canadian music awards by both the Juno Awards and the Polaris Music Prize. This decision came after the 84-year-old singer returned her Order of Canada, stating that she is actually an American citizen and not Canadian.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which oversees the Juno Awards, announced that they were rescinding the honours Sainte-Marie had received over the years due to her statements about her nationality. Sainte-Marie, who had collected seven Juno Awards in her career, will also have her 1994 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame revoked.
In a statement, CARAS explained that while Sainte-Marie had made significant contributions to Canadian music, they had to uphold their eligibility requirements and celebrate artists who meet the criteria. Similarly, the Polaris Music Prize cited Sainte-Marie’s statements as the reason for rescinding her awards, stating that she did not meet their rules and regulations.
Sainte-Marie had won the 2015 Polaris Music Prize for her album “Power In The Blood” and received a Polaris Heritage Prize designation in 2020 for her 1964 album “It’s My Way.” Despite the decision to revoke her awards, Polaris has stated that they will not be reclaiming the cash prize that accompanied her 2015 win.
Toronto-based musician Marc Meriläinen, a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, praised the decisions to strip Sainte-Marie of her awards. He emphasized the importance of authenticity in representing Indigenous artists in the Canadian music industry and suggested that any money Sainte-Marie received from the honours should be given to genuine Indigenous artists.
This recent development follows an investigation by the CBC’s Fifth Estate in October 2023 that raised questions about Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous ancestry. The investigation revealed a birth certificate indicating that she was born in Massachusetts in 1941, casting doubt on her narrative of being a Cree woman from the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan.
In response to the investigation and the subsequent stripping of her awards, Sainte-Marie confirmed that she is an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport. She expressed love and gratitude to Canada for the opportunity to contribute to the music industry but made it clear that she is not Canadian.
Music journalist Karen Bliss noted that while the rescinding of the awards was necessary, the focus seems to be on Sainte-Marie’s nationality rather than her Indigenous identity. Throughout her career, Sainte-Marie has claimed to be a Cree woman adopted into the Piapot First Nation community, but conflicting documentation and family conversations have raised doubts about her ancestry.
Sainte-Marie has maintained that she has lived with uncertainty about her parentage and has criticized the investigation for constructing a false narrative about her life. CBC has reached out to a representative of Sainte-Marie for further comment on the matter.
