'Never going to be another': Buffy Sainte-Marie steps away from live performances

YORKTON, SASK -

An icon, a trailblazer, a hometown hero — there are a lot of ways to describe Buffy Sainte-Marie.

The now 82-year-old who considers the Qu’Appelle Valley and Treaty Four home made a decision that has raised mixed emotions throughout the music world.

Thursday evening, Sainte-Marie announced that she would step away from the microphone and live shows, for good.

"I have made the difficult decision to pull out of all scheduled performances in the foreseeable future," Sainte-Marie said in the statement. "Arthritic hands and a recent shoulder injury have made it no longer possible to perform to my standards.

"Sincere regrets to all my fans and family, my band and the support teams that make it all possible."

For many music fans, and those who lived through the rise of Buffy, she put a face to issues many never dared to speak of. She pushed her agenda, blacklisted or not, according to her niece, Ntawnis Piapot.

“She chose to talk about Indigenous issues on national platforms back when people weren’t even acknowledging Indigenous people … [Talk shows would] tell her, ‘Just come on, and talk. Sit there and be pretty, talk about the music, and not the Indian stuff,’ and she absolutely refused to do that,” Piapot said on Friday.

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Piapot said there’s nothing specifically saying that Buffy won’t ever perform again, or do a song here or there, but she said one thing is for certain.

“There’s never going to be another Buffy,” she said.

From the time spent on Sesame Street to getting her own stamp from Canada Post, Buffy’s life has been well lived.

Regardless, Piapot said one thing she knows for certain — Buffy is an artist, and she’ll continue to be just that.

“Her music is just absolutely timeless … she’s just been an absolute gift,” she said. “She told me once, ‘Always do something creative, at least once a day, my girl.’”

Some words of wisdom from one of Saskatchewan’s most iconic individuals.