Well, in part. From the point of view of a driven young artist, to get noticed, to get a foot in the door, desperate situations call for desperate measures. The way I see it is she saw that it helped her earlier in her career, there was the novelty of it, it set her apart from other folk acts, and unfortunately she got trapped in the story she invented and then, sadly, had to live it out.
The reason why I say ‘in part’ is because, I believe, regardless of what she was or wasn’t born, it was her unique voice and writing that won over many people to become fans of hers.
Yes, claiming to be indigenous set her up as an outsider, which I can see as possibly being one of the several reasons why Morrissey and others may have been drawn to her.
Smiler brings up many points I agree with, these are sad times.
As much as I dislike the presentation of the documentary, and until proven otherwise, it seems to be true.
Will this cause me to stop listening to Buffy Sainte Marie? Of course not.