Buffy St Marie

Born in 1941 on a Cree reserve in Saskatchewan, she was adopted by a couple from Massachusetts. She taught herself to play piano and guitar and released the first of many records in 1964. She appeared on Sesame Street from 1976 to 1981. In 1982, she won an Oscar for writing “Up Where We Belong,” the only Native American to earn an Oscar. Most importantly, Beverly (Buffy) Saint-Marie risked her career to speak for the weak and powerless.