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Description: On today's episode, we'll be exploring a somewhat forgotten cultural and musical icon who inspired millions of people to fight back against racism.

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Applauding Hidden Treasures- Buffy Sainte-Marie

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Applauding Hidden Treasures- Buffy Sainte-Marie

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Sources:
- McIntosh, Andrew, et al. “Buffy Sainte-Marie.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/buffy-sainte-marie. Accessed 4 June 2023
- Perea, John-Carlos. “Buffy Sainte-Marie.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 May 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Buffy-Sainte-Marie. Accessed 7 June 2023
- Simonot, Colette. “Sainte-Marie, Buffy (Beverly) (1941–).” Sainte-Marie, Buffy (Beverly) (1941–) - Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia | University of Saskatchewan, 3 Feb. 2018, teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/sainte-marie_buffy_beverly_1941-.php. Accessed 3 June 2023

Transcript:
Hello everyone and welcome back to today’s episode of Applauding Hidden Treasures. As per usual, I, Abdul Al-shareeda, am your host for tonight. Today we’ll be focused on a true national gem. That’s right folks, you are in for a treat: the one, the only, Buffy St. Marie.

*Jingle Plays*

Okay let’s dig right into this. Obviously, for the lot of you who don’t know Buffy, she’s a Cree singer, songwriter, multi- instrumentalist, educator, social activist, philanthropist, and visual artist who was born in Saskatchewan, Canada on February 20, 1941. She is known as the artist who creates love songs and interestingly, protest songs as well. So her music really focuses on Social and political issues regarding Native Americans and other minorities. Those are a lot of great qualities for one person, so where exactly did Buffy’s career begin? Okay so, After her mother’s tragic death, Buffy, being only a couple months old, was adopted by the Mi’kmaq couple, Albert and Winfred Sainte- Marie. She had always took an interest in music, specifically the piano. She was raised by them in Massachusetts and Maine until her graduation, when she boldly decided to move to New York and begin a promising music career performing in cafe’s, festivals, and Indigenous communities in Greenwich village. After becoming a star in the city, she decided to expand her fame further by singing with Vanguard Records and releasing her first album titled “In My Way” in 1964 and wow, the absolute success that album recieved was insane ladies and gentleman. Buffy actually won the Best New Artist Honour Award form Billboard Magazine for that album Alone. Get this, the songs she composed included cultural importance and also educated her fans on native topics, which is what made it so impressive. She went on to stun people worldwide with her music by releasing more albums and records specifically with her 1969 release “Illuminations”, which was the first quadraphonic electronic vocal album ever recorded. In fact, she gained so much popularity that she earned 6 JUNO Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 1995. And it doesn’t stop there people, she was the first and only indigenous women to win an Oscar. It’s honestly insane how deep rooted her music career was in peoples lives. Now onto the real question, how was she making a difference with her music? To start, she founded a whole charity that aims to provide indigenous children an education. As if that wasn’t enough, she inspired millions of young artists to follow her way and speak up against racism and violence. Also, This is rather crazy in a good way, but all of Buffy’s songs discussed issues and or challenges for Indigenous people and other minorities.   For example, in her song “Now That The Buffalo’s Gone”, she publicly protests about the outright theft of Indigenous People’s land. In another release titled “Cod’ine” she discusses how the healthcare system failed her and (other Native Americans) after she was addicted to codeine due to Bronchitis. Songs aren’t the only way she gets across to people though. Buffy advocates and has always been advocating for education in the Native American Community. Not just this, but The political outspokenness in her songs and actions is there. For example, she actually championed a variety of political causes in the 60’s, with her most notable movement being the American Indian Movement, which is the militant civil rights organization that was Anti-the Vietnam War. Fun fact, she was actually blacklisted by the Richard Nixon Adminstration for speaking out so much, which when I heard, it literally blew my mind. Despite the limited radio airplay she was getting, This women kept going, and never once thought of stopping and giving up. That is why I chose her for today’s podcast. Against all odds, she came from nothing and became an absolute icon. She fought back against a whole government just to spread awareness of Indigenous issues and fight against prejudice. What a human being honestly. She reached a degree of greatness that  all of us strive for today. Thank you everyone for joining me on todays podcast. Abdul is the name, and Applauding Hidden Treasures is the podcast. Lights out baby.

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The Nihewan Foundation's Cradleboard Teaching Project aims to strengthen relationships while providing knowledge about Indigenous people. By partnering Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, they create engaging teaching materials and methods to improve academic performance while promoting understanding of Indigenous cultures. Donating to the Nihewan Foundation supports their work in empowering communities, teachers, and students to deliver their own enriching education and foster positive connections between diverse groups. The creator of the Nihewan Foundation is Buffy Sainte-Marie. As an educator and knowledge-seeker, she used her media skills to create this non-profit organization. She decided to start this foundation to implement core indigenous teachings in education for all to learn, and has successfully done so. The source provided is a promotional website/infographic designed to give you details about the foundation as you scroll, while providing a donation button near the bottom of the page. The purpose of the Nihewan Foundation is to educate people of a free program designed to allow kids their right to education while simultaneously teaching the visitors of the website how the organization came to be and the current amount of achievements that the foundation completed. I included this as a supplemental source to my podcast because it displays the determination of Sainte-Marie to continue spreading awareness and inspiring the youth by creating a long-lasting charity that will continue aiding children in education, even after her death. Additionally, the foundation displays itself as an achievement of Buffy Sainte-Marie. Lastly, this is useful as a supplemental source because people can donate after listening to my podcast.

Sainte-Marie, Buffy. “Indigenous Education - Nihewan Foundation - Be Your Culture.” Nihewancanada.Ca, 7 Feb. 2023, nihewancanada.ca/. Accessed 4 June 2023

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Indigenous Education - Nihewan Foundation - Be Your Culture

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Indigenous Education for communities, teachers and students. Enriching teaching materials in core subject matters.

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Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Carry It On" | A Short Documentary

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Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Carry It On" | A Short Documentary

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"Carry It On" is a feature documentary that explores the life and enduring legacy of Buffy Sainte-Marie, a cultural and musical icon. The film displays Buffy's lifelong commitment to music and truth-sharing, showcasing her personal journey and career challenges. It includes interviews with figures like Alanis Obomsawin, Joni Mitchell, and Robbie Robertson, who discuss Buffy's profound influence on their lives. The documentary celebrates Buffy's impact as a musician and cultural force. The director, Madison Thomas, is a storyteller of mixed ancestry (Ojibwe & Ukrainian) who is based in Manitoba. Growing up listening to Sainte-Marie's music, she decided to transform Andrea Warner's biography on Buffy into a spectacular documentary, earning a variety of awards worldwide. This 90 minute documentary's purpose is to educate non-indigenous (and some indigenous) people of Buffy Sainte-Marie and her message to the world. I included this documentary as a supplemental source to my podcast because it includes interviews to further understand Buffy Sainte-Marie and her goals for people who want to indulge deeper into Buffy's thoughts after listening to my general podcast. I also included this documentary because it doesn't just show all the successes of Buffy, but rather her failures and how she overcame them as well.

PBS, American Masters. “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It on: Official Trailer: American Masters: PBS.” YouTube, 12 Oct. 2022, youtu.be/LKQVXfsl2j0. Accessed 06 June 2023.

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Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On | Official Trailer | American Masters | PBS

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Buffy Sainte-Marie's Interview with Tom Power

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Buffy Sainte-Marie's Interview with Tom Power

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This interview with Tom Power captures Sainte-Marie's highlights of her career as well  as her thoughts on issues in the modern world compared to issues of the past. The interviewer is a Canadian musician and broadcaster for CBC Radio One, Tom Power. The purpose of this interview is to educate and inform listeners of Buffy's career accomplishments as well as her opinions. I selected Tom's Interview as a supplement to my podcast because the entire 30 minutes of the interview is thought provoking and shows how open Sainte-Marie is about herself. Additionally, this interview is directed towards those who are artists and curious about the music career that Buffy built.

Power, Tom. “Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Living Legend Looks Back at 81.” YouTube, 30 June 2022, youtu.be/7IO5xJyB90Y. Accessed 5 June 2023.

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Buffy Sainte-Marie: A living legend looks back at 81

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Buffy Sainte-Marie playing the guitar on a balcony in New York.

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I selected this image as the background for my Padlet because it shows Buffy Sainte-Marie at the beginning of her career, when she had nearly nothing to her name. I felt it would inspire others to see how she came from nothing and went on to achieve great success in her career.
Source: “Greenwich Village Days - Buffy Sainte-Marie: Buffy Sainte Marie.” Pinterest, 19 Sept. 2012, in.pinterest.com/pin/greenwich-village-days-buffy-saintemarie--483785184940975409/.