Indigenous women’s group says Sainte-Marie Emmy win a ‘slap in the face’

A group of Indigenous women says the International Emmy Award for a documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie feels like a “slap in the face.”

The Indigenous Women’s Collective describes itself as a group of mothers, grandmothers, academics and activists advocating to stop colonial violence against Indigenous women.

The collective says in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that documentaries are supposed to present factual information.

“Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” a documentary made before the singer’s Indigenous ancestry was called into question, won in the arts programming category.

The singer-songwriter’s ancestry was challenged in a CBC investigation last month that presented several identity documents and interviews with family members that suggested she is Italian American.

Saint-Marie has denied the accusation and White Pine Pictures, one of the companies that produced the documentary, says in a statement on its website that it stands behind the musician.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 21, 2023.