Between Buffy and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ the past few weeks have been complicated – TVO Today
Nov 21, 2023
OPINION: Representation. Authenticity. Accuracy. It’s a strange time for the Indigenous community, especially for those with an interest in the arts
These have been some pretty odd times for the Indigenous community. Especially for those with interests in the arts.
First, there’s the whole Buffy issue, which is still reverberating across not just the country, but also the whole continent. There are many who are still defending her claim to Aboriginal ancestry — so-called defendians. Others, feeling hurt and disillusioned by the fact she is quite probably more Italian than Indigenous, are still wondering what to do with all their Buffy Sainte-Marie CDs and records. Can they be returned and refunded by claiming misleading advertising?
Meanwhile, Buffy herself stays silent, maybe regrouping on her goat ranch somewhere in the islands of Hawaii. Not something a lot of documented Indigenous people find themselves doing. This revelation will take some time to heal from. Whether or not the allegations are true, she had found a place of love in the Indigenous heart for almost 60 years. That’s at least two, possibly three generations, so it runs deep.
