Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Voice of Resilience, Activism, and Musical Mastery
by Nick Brindle
Buffy Sainte-Marie is an icon when it comes to music and, more specifically, Indigenous music. Sainte-Marie was born in 1941 on the Piapot Plains Cree First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada. Her Indigenous roots heavily influence her style of music in which she incorporates activism as a way to motivate change. One example of this is her anti-war anthem “Universal Soldier” released in the 1960s which retaliates against people’s support for the “universal soldier”, who kills on the people’s behalf.
Birthplace of Buffy Sainte-Marie
See Buffy Sainte-Marie’s performance of “Universal Soldier”
Given her indigenous roots, Buffy Sainte-Marie often incorporates characteristics such as vocables, paying tribute to her identity. Much of her music has a slower tempo but she is also versatile in her craft, having songs like “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” in her discography which has a much faster tempo with a more intense feel to the song. Due to the age of her music, her songs are not overproduced and over-textured like some modern day songs, but instead they usually consist of just a guitar or piano to set the melody with drums to accompany.
Listen to Sainte-Marie’s “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)”
Saint-Marie’s lyrics are often based around activism and political change. She pushes for Native American recognition and uses music as an attempt to bring the indigenous community together. Often times, Native Americans can feel like they do not belong because they have been oppressed and their land has been taken for years. Buffy Sainte-Marie can often have catchy lyrics that resonate in the listener’s mind, making them more memorable and bringing more attention to the message she is trying to send.
The context of creation for her work involves drawing from the stories, traditions, and struggles of the Indigenous peoples. Her songs are often a reflection of her own journey and a response to the societal issues she observes. They bring attention to social injustices, celebrate resilience, and foster a sense of cultural pride. Through her activism and musical contributions, she has created a sense of solidarity and empowerment within communities facing historical and contemporary challenges.
Historical visualization of supposed Americanization of Indigenous people, displaying the difference in appearance – Read more about this image
Beginning in the 1960s, a period of social change, Buffy Sainte-Marie rose as a prominent figure in the music scene for social justice. Her music is heavily influenced by the forced Americanization of natives when settlers first began to colonize the continent. With her style of music, she has brought the Native American community together and has paved a way for other indigenous artists to embrace their culture and integrate part of their heritage into their songs.
Works Cited
Sainte-Marie, Buffy. “Biography.” Buffy Sainte-Marie,
buffysainte-marie.com/?page_id=10867. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.
Perea, John-Carlos. “Buffy Sainte-Marie.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 1 Dec. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Buffy-Sainte-Marie.
Titon, Jeff Todd. “Chapter 2: North America/Native America.”
Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World’s Peoples, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, 2018.
Murphy, Nancy. “Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Self-Expressive Voice.” Ebsco Host,
1 Sept. 2023, Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.
Feitosa de Almeida, Guilherme. “The Anti-War Voice of Buffy Sainte-Marie.” Ebsco Host,
1 July 2021, Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.