‘Love lift us up where we belong…’
When you don’t know your roots, it’s like having your feet + soul cut off…
I was asked to write a reply to a recent article that our dear friend Heather Menzies wrote on her blog regarding the Buffy Sainte-Marie inquiry into her heritage that was aired on CBC’s Fifth Estate program.
I feel it was a clear + respectful perspective and thank you Heather for sharing. From part of Heather’s post she shares:
“I wonder if they’ve questioned framing the story as a Fifth Estate “investigation” of this 82-year-old non-Canadian Canadian icon in the first place. It seems professionally neutral; yet it set a binary tone: innocent or guilty full stop. There’s also what qualifies as relevant source material. In the practices I learned as a journalist, objective facts such as birth certificates were the gold standard, stripped of context and extenuating circumstances…” —Heather Menzies
I agree that the CBC could have chosen to explore other ways to approach the issue without targeting Buffy’s humanness and the positive impact she has contributed to our broken world. My soul searching of this explosive news has been nothing short of whoa—who would have thought…Buffy? Why would the CBC, of all institutions, that we have trusted for so long do this to a celebrated incredible human like Buffy? Especially now when she has just retired from a long celebrated career, at the age of 82. I love her… many love her… and i will always love her music.
I also don’t wish to judge this situation either way other than share my experience as a white settler who has been shocked to learn what has happened and my love for her music + long-standing work for social change + justice. I also wonder how this unkind approach to reporting has impacted the many Indigenous people far and wide.
As someone who was adopted, i also wish to attempt to share how this may relate to the story from a personal perspective.
Growing up, absorbing and learning a colonial racist mindset from those early years since aboriginal lands had been stolen across North America (+ beyond) by white settlers from Europe. Including the systematic onslaught of genocide through residential schools + displacement of aboriginal people by our governments, i’ve been on a life-long learning + unlearning those mindsets from my adoptive parents and their peers. I’m sure my parents learned this racism from their parents and on down through their ancestral line as well. I continue to simply listen and learn.
When i lived + worked in the DTES of Vancouver, i often spoke with many young Indigenous artists + musicians who were deeply influenced + mentored by Buffy, where she supported them to step into their becoming as young emerging artists. Did the CBC mention that? They missed a lot and it’s unfortunate they chose the route they chose as Heather mentioned. Frankly, i feel the CBC episode approached the story as unkind and yet, another witch hunt.
I grew up on a dairy/crop farm in the Delta area south of Vancouver on the unceded territory of the Tsawwassen near Boundary Bay. As children, we were always led to believe that our adoptive father’s family were pioneer farmers of these lands in the Delta since 1887 and we should be proud of that. It was years later i learned that they were actually white settlers to these stolen lands.
Growing up as Caucasian/settler, Buffy was also a huge influence on me and my music where she taught me and the world about what it was like to be Indigenous in a white colonial + racist world—especially celebrating the beauty of being… as did many others like Robbie Robertson (Mohawk/Cayuga/Jewish) rip… and my dear friend David Campbell (Arawak/Portuguese) with many others. They opened my eyes to the many stories + colonial terror inflicted on the First Nations of this country and beyond. As we know, as children in school, we were NOT educated about our horrible Canadian history of systematic genocide of the Aboriginal First Peoples of this land. Relearning and unlearning racism has been a life-journey as i grew up in quite a racist home.
I am one of the lucky ones who had adoptive parents who told me from the get-go that i could pursue searching for my birth parents when i became of age and always supported that. And, i did do just that as i always knew i was different in my family. I always yearned to know who i looked like! And, where did my music + art come from? I would often call myself, ‘the pink sheep of the family…’ or, ‘one of these things is not like the other…’
When i found and met my birth mother, she proudly knew and told me of her heritage (Scottish highlands) and assumed that my birth father was the same. When she was forced to give me up, she told me that she couldn’t even hold me at birth because it was just too hard for her though also, was forced to put something on my birth records about, my birth father.
When you don’t know your roots, it’s like having your feet + soul cut off…
And so, without knowing my birth father’s heritage, my birth mother wrote assuming Scottish/Irish because she had to write something on that form. I did attempt to find my birth father, however, when he was found, he declined any further contact. My only hope in finding him as well was, to perhaps only learn his surname/heritage. I simply wanted to know who i was… where did i come from?
Buffy has claimed many times she doesn’t know where she comes from and has never known. If Buffy really wanted to know who she is, i wonder why she wouldn’t have chosen to take a DNA test long ago?
Through receiving my own ‘non-identifying’ birth records from the government, i was told my heritage was Scottish/Irish on both sides. Non-identifying information is the narrative a social worker writes for you when one applied to the government for adoptive birth records. That’s right, a social worker can go into my own birth records and based on what was stated there, the worker makes up a story about who i am without sharing any personal information as to who my birth parents were.
That is one way how a birth record narrative can be skewed and bias…
That was how it was done back when the Adoptive Registry was a passive Registry. That legislation changed in 1991 where It became an active Registry so one could re-apply to create an active search for birth parents.
When it was a passive registry, both parties had to apply for a match to possibly happen. I applied as soon i became of age and was on the passive Registry for years. No one from my birth family ever applied.
When the Registry became active, i re-applied and months later, my birth mother was found and she did agree to a reunion. Upon meeting her she declined in telling me anything about my birth father.
Years later, when i chose to have my DNA tested, i was shocked to learn that i am not fully Scottish/Irish though quite a mixed bag, a Heinz-57. However, my DNA report also showed on my birth father’s side, that i am Slavic—most likely Polish/Russian among other bits of heritage. Learning this was revealing in knowing more of my own identity and who i am + finally having some closure of my long search for yearning where i come from.
When i learned that Buffy has now removed all claims to being Indigenous off her official website including the many conflicting heritages the CBC’s Fifth Estate reported out on as well what Buffy has stated over the years, is disconcerting. I also can understand how this issue has affected and triggered many Indigenous people in personal ways, can be gut heart-wrenching, i can’t even imagine the feeling of betrayal… i continue to listen + learn.
And, the Piapot First Nation’s acting chief, Ira Lavallee is now saying the singer owes his community a definitive answer and should take a DNA test.
I feel this issue is not only about Buffy’s immense talent as a musician and what she has done to inspire and pave the way for many… though, a ruthless target on her ‘unknown’ ancestry. i will always respect and love Buffy though would love to see her choose to become clear about who she truly is as a human being for herself and one way to do that is to perhaps take a DNA test. Though i know doing that is one’s personal choice and i will honour that.
My heart goes out to you dear Buffy… and my heart goes out to all Indigenous people affected by this heart-less reporting by the CBC.
I will continue to listen + learn… x (((💜)))
Some links + video related to this story…
• The CBC Fifth Estate Program (on youtube) about Buffy Sainte-Marie »
• Piapot First Nation chief wants Buffy Sainte-Marie to take a DNA test »
• Buffy Sainte-Marie’s official website »
• Heather Menzies, author website »
Below, the lyrics to the song Buffy co-wrote that won her an academy award:
Up Where We Belong
Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world, few hearts survive
All I know, is the way I feel
When it's real, I keep my pray alive
The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb steps every day
Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Up where the clear winds blow
Some hang on to "used-to-be"
Live their lives locking behind
All we have is here and now
All our lives, out there to find
The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb steps every day
Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Up where the clear winds blow
Time goes by
No time to cry
Life's you and I, alive, baby
Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Up where the clear winds blow
Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Up where the clear winds blow
Written by: Will Jennings, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jack Nitzsche
Album: The Best of Joe Cocker
below, my friend, David Campbell singing his beloved song, Pretty Brown…