Hi all! Welcome back to my blog!

Today, I’m reflecting on our latest BCFP project—a mini project about status and Indigeneity.

Our driving question was: How might understanding the sensitivities around Indigeneity help us understand B.C. First Peoples? This project was both fascinating and challenging because it explored complex and sometimes controversial topics: status, identity, and what it truly means to be Indigenous.

What is status?

In Canada, “status” refers to being legally recognized as a Status Indian under the Indian Act, a distinction confirmed through government registration and a status card. This system has historically been used to regulate and control Indigenous identity, determining who is officially recognized as Indigenous under Canadian law. Obtaining status is not an easy task; the application process is long, complex, and often uncertain. While the government claims it takes 8 to 12 weeks to process a complete application for a status card, many people report waiting years, with some applications even getting lost. Once someone has status, they gain access to certain benefits, like tax exemptions, education, and non-insured health services—though these benefits often come with limitations.

Some individuals, known as “Pretendians,” falsely claim Indigenous identity to gain access to these benefits without having experienced the real challenges faced by Indigenous communities. This takes valuable resources away from those they’re meant for, misrepresents Indigenous cultures, and creates mistrust within the community.

The Case of Buffy Sainte-Marie

Our case study focused on folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, who rose to fame in the 1960s. I hadn’t heard of her before, but her story quickly became one of shock and complexity. Sainte-Marie, born Beverly Jean Santamaria in 1941, built her entire career around an Indigenous identity, claiming to be Cree from the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan. 

Over the years, she gained fame, awards, and recognition for her activism and music, becoming a prominent voice for Indigenous issues. However, a 2023 CBC investigation cast serious doubt on these claims, revealing evidence that contradicts her narrative. Official documents, including her birth certificate, along with testimonies from her own family, suggest that she was actually born in Massachusetts to an Italian-American family. Sainte-Marie has told conflicting stories about her origins, including claims of being orphaned or taken during the Sixties Scoop, even though these events occurred after her birth. While she was later adopted by the Piapot Nation as an adult, her fabricated Indigenous identity has sparked controversy, raising important questions about the impact of these false claims on real Indigenous communities.

I highly recommend watching the CBC Fifth Estate investigation to understand the controversy surrounding her identity.

After watching the documentary, my head was spinning. How could someone live a lie for their entire life? She won Juno awards as an Indigenous artist, yet records show she wasn’t even Canadian. She made history as the first Indigenous person to appear on Sesame Street, educating kids on a culture that—according to these findings—was never hers to begin with.

This made me sad, especially when I think about the real Indigenous artists and activists who lost opportunities because of her false claims.

Here’s my thought bubble!

Talking Circle

Instead of a typical written assignment, the final product for this project was a talking circle—a traditional Indigenous practice used for discussion, decision-making, and storytelling. In the circle, everyone is equal, everyone has a voice, and everyone listens. It was a refreshing change from the usual classroom setting, where sometimes only a few people get to speak.

Before the circle, we each reflected on the topic and brought notes to guide our discussion. Here are mine!

 We started by talking about status and our case study on Buffy Sainte-Marie, but the conversation naturally shifted to cultural appropriation versus appreciation—where do we draw the line? This is where things got interesting because it quickly became clear that there’s no simple answer. What’s considered appropriation for one person might be seen as appreciation by another.

I really enjoyed how open-ended and thought-provoking our discussion was. We explored different ideas, questioned assumptions, and considered perspectives I hadn’t even thought about before. It became clear that we didn’t have all the answers, and that in itself was a valuable takeaway.

My biggest takeaway from this project is that we all have a responsibility in these discussions—not just to speak, but to truly listen, especially to Indigenous voices and perspectives that may differ from our own. There’s always more to learn.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you discovered something new!