3 Poems by Buffy St. Marie

Alicia Erickson

Jacqueline Reed

English 107

22 October 2012

3 Poems by Buffy Sainte Marie

An artist of First Nations decent, Buffy Sainte Marie was born in 1941. In “An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English, the editors write a brief summary of her life and career (pg. 166). Her foster-mother was Mi’kmaq although Buffy remembers her childhood as being very white. It was not until her late teens was she adopted by the Cree Nation. Buffy wrote many lyrical works pertaining to First Nations historical issues. Kinzua Dam is one of which appears in both “My Country Tis of Thy People You’re Dying”, and “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone”. Another popular track, “Universal Soldier” became an anthem for the peace movement. The singer/songwriter toured internationally drawing crowds in the thousands, yet in Canada and the United States she could only find audience on Reserve. As it turned out the two Governments had her music blacklisted, along with many other artists which forbade radio-air time. This information is found on her creative native biography site. Buffy wanted to bring awareness to the public about First Nations issues so she became involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM). She worked hard to eradicate stereotypes and prejudices forged in society through her music. The majority of the royalties from her music have been donated to charities for Native education including one Buffy founded called the Nihewan Foundation. For five and a half years Buffy also became a regular performer on Sesame Street where she worked at educating children about First Nations cultures. The following tracks showcase the many different atrocities the First Nations have experienced since “Columbus set sail out of Europe” (line 14, My Country).

Universal soldier was written in 1962. The opening verse uses the actual height parameters and age brackets of soldiers to show that across religions and cultures, across languages and ethnicities – a soldier is common to all. You can also see how ridiculous fighting really is when you are fighting a War for Peace in the quote “kill you for me my friend kill me for you.” (line 8). Buffy makes historical reference to World War II, and wants you to think about the whole picture of these events. This song is not focused First Nations issues, or any particular country’s wrong-doings. Rather, Buffy is raising ethical issues surrounding current events. St. Marie wants the audience to take personal responsibility for their actions and societal ideals. 

He’s the one who must decide who’s to live and whose to die

And he never sees the writing on the wall

He’s the one who gives his body as a weapon if the war

And without him all this killing can’t go on (Verse 4/5; 13-20)

If society never “sees the writing on the wall” how can one learn from the past? How can society learn from their mistakes? This line points toward a certain ignorance society holds toward history. Verses 5/6 make historical reference to World War II and Julius Caesar to show that without each individual soldier taking up arms, all this killing cannot go on. Through this writing you can see how history is influenced by its people. In today’s society, one cannot blame the authorities because we live in a society that allows for the election of its politicians therefore this song speaks to the audience about seeing one another as equals, and looking past cultural differences. The next two poems are more focused on specific issues such as land claims, but all three carry the same theme of taking an individual responsibility throughout.

            The title of Buffy’s next song “My Country Tis of Thy People You’re Dyeing” is a satirical reference to “America: My Country Tis of Thee” which used to be one of the United States national anthems. The opening verse is asking the audience “[n]ow that you’re finally wond’ring how can it be real”, now that you can see how the First Nations people have been stereotyped and “starved in their splendor” what are you going to do to right these wrongs? In verse two St. Marie makes reference to residential schools and the cultural “genocide basic to this country’s birth” (line 16). Under the Indian Act residential schools were implemented to kill the Indian in the child where many were abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. Children were taken from their homes, their families only to be stripped of their languages, their cultures. These children were taught to “despise their traditions” (line 11). When the Government illegalized the potlatch system First Nations people suffered a tremendous loss to their culture in that they could no longer distribute wealth, pass down traditional names or songs or celebrate the passing on of a loved one. The author utilizes Kinzua Dam as a more present-day example of how the First Nations people were unethically severed from their traditional lands. Buffy eloquently leans on Kinzua Dam as the symbol for these continued struggles faced by First Nations today. Again St. Marie asks the audience who is directly responsible for current events such as the Canadaigua Treaty being broken by Kinzua dam. Not only does Buffy ask who is responsible, she also asks the audience how you will help us now that you know that our people have been discriminated against for centuries. In verse three St. Marie elaborates on how ‘Uncle Sam’ made a bargain for the west (line 21)

Blankets for land, now the treaties attest,

Blankets for land is a bargain indeed

But the blankets were those Uncle Sam had collected

From small pox-diseased dyeing soldiers that day;

And the tribes were wiped out and the history books censored. (lines 24-8)

This verse concludes with the statement that ‘our blood runs the redder though our genes have been paled’, (line 31) meaning that First Nations have grown stronger even though their genes have lessened. This points out the perseverance seen in the First Nations peoples even as “the white nation fattens while others grow lean (line 34).  The next verse uses irony to show how by helping the colonists survive and settle North America the First Nations people were given just enough rope to hang themselves. The author is saying that it is only now that even ‘the graves have been robbed’ that society is asking First Nations how they feel about these issues. Again Buffy St. Marie raises the ethical issue of how society has discriminated against the First Nations people. The final verse symbolizes how just like an invasive species, white society has stolen First Nations lands and failed to nourish the Peoples heritage. St. Marie concludes the poem by saying “And it’s only now that our poverty’s profiting you and my country tis of thy people are dying” (lines 56-7) that you have come to listen to this story.

            The “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” track is an address to you Proud Good Lady, and Proud Good Man who would claim Indian heritage if only for the Rights (line 4). The author uses contrasting language to emphasize the distinction between First Nations and Non- First Nations. St. Marie asks the audience to listen to her words if you “really care where we stand and you feel in your hearts for these ones” (lines 11-2). Verse three makes historical reference to Western society’s victory in Germany during World War II. This verse implies that history may be written by the victors but you can still consider all the facts. Buffy uses this verse to showcase an American hypocrisy. These people she is addressing do not care for nor participate in First Nations culture, yet they insist that they do. This verse compares the Wests response to Germany to its founding of the United States and Canada. Buffy says ‘you left them their pride, and you left them their lands’ (lines 17-8) even though Hitler’s reign resulted in the death of millions. In comparison when colonists came to North America, the First Nations helped them survive and settle while the colonists’ response was to take more land by force if obligatory. Concludes the poem by asking the audience if the victory in Germany is enough to express a significant change in Uncle Sam or ‘is he still taking our land’? The classic stolen lands and broken promises lament is accentuated again by Kinzua Dam. This event brings the topic of First Nations Land Claims close to home.

            In conclusion, through these three specific songs by Buffy Sainte Marie, one can get a grasp on the scope of the various Native issues at hand. All the cultural, political and historical references Buffy uses clearly show the audience how she feels toward current events as well as what she thinks about societal ideals. Throughout these three works assimilation is implied, not named. You can view this as a First Nations trait, where whole ideas are not constrained to one definitive word. In order to do this St. Marie repeatedly asks the audience to take an individual responsibility for each current event or issue she brings up. Buffy’s songs were written at a time when First Nations issues were swept under the rug. The last residential school shut down in 1996, which was well after Buffy wrote these songs (Wikipedia “Residential Schools”). Land was still being stolen from First Nations peoples and the Governments were still pulling ridiculous moves like fighting a War for Peace. Step by step the colonists’ relentlessly pursued a cultural genocide, the effects of which you can still see today. The struggles Buffy St. Marie talks about are not somewhere in the distant past. The ethical issues St. Marie raises are not those of someone other than or separate from us. They are the ethical issues society must deal with today, now that the buffalo’s gone.

Works Cited

Sainte Marie, Buffy “Universal Soldier” pg. 166-7 An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English. Eds. Daniel David Moses and Terry Goldie. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print

Sainte Marie, Buffy “My Country Tis of Thy People You’re Dying” pg. 168-9 7 An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English. Eds. Daniel David Moses and Terry Goldie. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print

Sainte Marie, Buffy “Now That The Buffalo’s Gone” pg. 169-7 An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English. Eds. Daniel David Moses and Terry Goldie. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print

“Residential schools” Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia n.d. web. 21 Oct. 2012

“Universal Soldier annotated lyrics: Buffy Sainte Marie” Creative Native N.D. Web 9 Oct. 2012

“Bury My Heart at Kinzua Dam” David L Grant N.D. web 12 October 2012