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arts&entertainment
theGazette • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009
Buffy Sainte-Marie gives back to education ‘University saved my life,’ Aboriginal rights advocate says By Adam Szymanski Gazette Staff
Famed Canadian singer and Aboriginal rights advocate Buffy SainteMarie was back in London spreading a familiar message. Sainte-Marie has been singing for world peace since she first became a widely recognized musician in the 1960s, and also does educational work to complement the socially conscious messages in her music. On Tuesday, Sainte-Marie introduced her Cradleboard Teaching Project to local elementary schools.
“During the long periods between albums I complete big educational projects, working with teachers, students and colleges and developing interactive multimedia curriculum like Science: through Native American Eyes,” SainteMarie says. The Cradleboard Teaching Project has developed curriculums that incorporate Native culture into subjects like geography, social studies, history, science and music. Creating an elementary school curriculum from scratch may seem like a daunting task, but it brings out Sainte-Marie’s creative side.
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“Writing curriculum this way is similar to — and just as much fun as — making music or art,” she says. The importance Sainte-Marie places on education stems from her own university experience. “University saved my life,” she says. “[It is] the perfect place for a safe transition from small town narrow mindedness to expansive global thinking.” Though Sainte-Marie was a regular on educational children’s show Sesame Street from 1976-1981, her music isn’t child’s play. Her career took off in the 1960s with her popular love song, “Until It’s Time for You to Go,” and the anti-Vietnam peace anthem “Universal Soldier.” Artists like Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond have covered her music. On Wednesday, Sainte-Marie played a show in London at one of her favourite venues, Aeolian Hall, where she sang her politicallyinformed songs. Her tour is in promotion of her latest album, Running with the Drum, that draws on a number of themes and musical genres. “Each song is its own little painting,” she says. “The themes are always snapshots of some part of the things we share as human beings — love, frustration with greedy elitists, war, death, home, heroes — plus a bunch that are just for dancing and fun,” she says.
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TAKING A HANDS-ON APPROACH. Between her music and Cradleboard Teaching Project Buffy Sainte-Marie has impacted both young and old. Many social issues Sainte-Marie touches on in her music involve native communities in Canada. “Certain people enjoy a very narrow part of life and others are more expansive in what they tolerate or even love. Probably there have always been these various extremes,” she says. “But I’ve seen things [improve] since I first started travelling around and I think that, taken as a whole, our whole species is maturing.” Reaching out to people
requires a lot of traveling — something that can take a physical toll. Sainte-Marie is grateful for the generosity and hospitality of native communities. “You have to be tough and healthy to survive continual jet lag and homelessness,” she says. “Grassroots people take care of us real good. Their love and appreciation and hospitality are boundless.” For Sainte-Marie, the hard work is worth it because she gets to spend time with her people. “Spending time with the reservation and urban Aboriginal people is the reward. It’s the reason I can tolerate so much discomfort on the road,” she says. The hard work throughout Sainte-Marie’s long career is continuing to pay off as she has had a very successful year so far. SainteMarie received an honourary doctorate of music from Western in June in addition to receiving her second Juno award and being induced into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Awards and recognition aside, Sainte-Marie keeps playing music because the audience responds well to what she has to say. “We’re on the road and everybody gets it,” she says.