Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist who famously declined an Oscar on behalf of American actor Marlon Brando at the 1973 Academy Awards, died on Oct. 7 at her home in Novato, California. at the age of 75.
Over the years, she has experienced various health issues from a young age leading up until her death. In 2021, Littlefeather announced on Facebook that she had stage four breast cancer that had spread to her lung.
Just weeks before her passing, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a formal apology letter to Littlefeather for her mistreatment at the 45th Awards Ceremony. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Littlefeather stated that she was stunned upon receiving the letter and she never thought she would be experiencing this. Not only did the Academy apologize for their behavior, but they also reassured their commitment to “fostering a more inclusive, respectful industry.”
50 years prior to the letter, Littlefeather had promptly approached the stage after Brando’s name had been announced for Best Actor for his work in “The Godfather” (1972). Although she was only 26 at the time, she was already president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee.
Upon arriving at the podium, she refused to accept the gold statue with her right hand gently raised up, while a speech prepared by Brando was in her left hand. Although she was not able to read the entire speech on television, she explained that Brando refused to accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.” A chorus of boos erupted with a simultaneous round of applause from some audience members.
In contrast to the typical gowns and suits one might witness at the Oscars, Littlefeather proudly wore a buckskin dress and moccasins, also known as traditional American Indian clothing. Despite the hostility from certain attendees, she concluded by stating, “I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening, and that we will in the future, our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity.”
Negative backlash occurred both during and after the ceremony. Marty Pasetta, who was a producer of the show, claimed that Hollywood legend John Wayne was so infuriated by her speech that it took six men to restrain him from approaching her. It was the first time in the show’s history that a Native American woman stood onstage. In an interview with the Academy years later, she recalled that she was shot at twice when she went back to Brando’s house. After all she experienced, she never regretted giving her speech. “I knew that I paid the price of admission so that others could follow,” Littlefeather said. “[I was] telling the truth about the way that it really is.”
According to her official website, Littlefeather was born by the name of Marie Cruz in Salinas, California in 1946. She acquired the name “Sacheen Littlefeather” after high school to embrace her heritage. Her mother’s ancestry was French, German and Dutch, while her father was from the Yaqui and White Mountain Apache tribes in Arizona. She had participated in the occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969 in protest of violations against American Indians. Although she was an activist, she was also an actress during the early 1970s. She later began her career at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and appeared in movies such as “Winter Hawk” (1975) and “The Trial of Billy Jack” (1974).
The origins of Littlefeather and Brando meeting begin with Director Francis Ford Coppola. In an interview with The Guardian, she said that she gave Coppola a letter to give to Brando after she saw him take genuine interest in American Indian rights. Luckily, they were neighbors, which made the search for Brando’s address fairly easy. A couple months later, she received a call from Brando and said that they spoke “as if we’d known each other forever.”
She would often visit his home, and they became good friends. Eventually, they came up with the idea of making a statement at the Oscars in light of the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1973.
The speech was put together in a rush as Littlefeather arrived at the award ceremony minutes before the Best Actor category was announced. Although she initially planned on reading the entire eight-page speech, she was informed by Producer Howard Koch that she would not be permitted to and only had 60 seconds on stage.
“I had promised [Brando] that I would not touch that statue if he won,” Littlefeather said. “And I had promised Koch that I would not go over 60 seconds. So there were two promises I had to keep.”
Her improvised speech was a pivotal and political moment in the history of the Academy Awards. Throughout her life, she continued to fight for civil rights and speak with candor. As she once said, “I knew that if you speak the truth, the truth will last beyond the time of eternity.”
In 1979, she co-founded the American Indian Registry of Performing Arts, which was an agency that would publish a directory of many American Indians in the entertainment industry. It would go on to help the careers of many aspiring artists to obtain acting opportunities.
Additionally, Littlefeather worked with PBS in 1991 to produce two series titled “Remember Me Forever” (1992) and “America Before Columbus” (1992). In 2009, she gave a testimony in the documentary “Reel Injun” (2009) about the various stereotypes American Indians have endured in films.
In recent years, there has been a reinvention of how American Indians are portrayed on screen in a more realistic and heartwarming way. “Smoke Signals” (1998) is credited as being the first feature length film to be written, produced and directed by Americans Indians. The plot of the film explores the themes of family and community whilst also finding one’s identity. Likewise, the film “Shouting Secrets” (2011) focuses on a modern Apache man struggling to resolve differences with his family and remember the importance of love.
Sacheen Littlefeather’s courage has undoubtedly impacted the film industry forever. Through her contributions, she has paved the way for many American Indians to live authentically and proudly. She reminded everyone in the world: “whenever you stand for your truth, you will be keeping my voice and the voices of our nations and our people alive.”
Julissa Ramirez is an Arts & Entertainment intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at julisscr@uci.edu.
