Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is a story of February 20th.
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It is the 51st day of the year, leaving 314 days remaining in 2022.
In her songs and concerts, Sainte-Marie told the stories of Native Americans and First Nations people. Her own heritage is Cree. Her mother died when she was an infant, and she was adopted by a Mo'kmaq couple who lived in Massachusetts.
In addition to her music, Sainte-Marie is and remain an activist for peace, equality, women's empowerment, and above all, the rights of the Indigeous people. She says she chose to take action through music and writing songs because music can move and motivate people to seek justice.
"Protest songs are good; they're important, and they talk about a problem," she said on her website. "But there are other activist songs which don't have a label, but they can enlighten and liberate, inform, motivate or otherwise encourage solutions."
She hit the New York bohemian scene in the Village in the early 1960s, joining a wave of folk singers and activists. Her first big song, the one that led her to a record contract and a semblance of fame, was Now That The Buffalo's Gone, which told the story of what happens when Native land rights are ignored or stolen.
Another song, Universal Soldier, was banned or shunned on many stations, and Sainte-Marie says leaders such as President Lyndon Johnson used it as an excuse to blacklist her. She said she wrote the song to persuade people to take individual responsibility for war.
Now 81, she is still touring, singing, and exhibiting her art.
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