Sacheen Littlefeather facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sacheen Littlefeather
Littlefeather at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, which she attended on behalf of Marlon Brando
Born	Maria Louise Cruz (1946-11-14)November 14, 1946 Salinas, California, U.S.
Died	October 2, 2022(2022-10-02) (aged 75) Novato, California, U.S.
Citizenship	United States (until 1972)
Occupation	Actress model activist
Spouse(s)	Michael Rubio Charles Koshiway Johnston

Maria Louise Cruz (born November 14, 1946 – died October 2, 2022), known as Sacheen Littlefeather, was an American actress and activist. She worked to support Native American civil rights. After she passed away, some family members and journalists questioned her claims of Native American heritage.

Littlefeather became well-known when she represented actor Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards (also called the Oscars) in 1973. Brando had won the Best Actor award for his role in The Godfather. However, he chose not to accept it. Instead, he sent Littlefeather to protest how Hollywood showed Native Americans in movies. He also wanted to bring attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee, an important event for Native American rights. During her speech, some people in the audience booed, while others applauded.

After her Oscar speech, Littlefeather continued to work for Native American causes. She focused on issues like healthcare and unemployment. She also helped make films about Native Americans. In June 2022, the Academy Awards organization sent Littlefeather an apology. This apology was read at a special event on September 17, just two weeks before she died.

Littlefeather had said her father was of Apache and Yaqui background, and her mother was of European descent. After Littlefeather's death, a writer named Jacqueline Keeler spoke with Littlefeather's two sisters. They said their family was not Native American and that Littlefeather had made up her Native American ancestry. They also stated that their father was of Spanish-Mexican descent and had no tribal connections.

Early Life and Identity

Sacheen Littlefeather was born Maria Louise Cruz on November 14, 1946, in Salinas, California. Her mother, Geroldine Marie Cruz, made leather goods and had French, German, and Dutch roots. Her father, Manuel Ybarra Cruz, was a saddle maker of Mexican descent.

Littlefeather often said her father had White Mountain Apache and Yaqui ancestors. However, her sisters and other researchers say he was of Spanish-Mexican descent. They found no known ancestors with tribal ties in Mexico or connections to the Yaqui or White Mountain Apache tribes.

Both of Littlefeather's parents were saddle makers. They opened their own business, Cruz Saddlery, in Salinas in 1949. Her mother continued the business after her father passed away in 1966.

Littlefeather went to North Salinas High School from 1960 to 1964. She was active in 4-H, winning awards for cooking and fashion. After high school, she studied elementary education at Hartnell Junior College.

While attending California State College at Hayward (now California State University, East Bay), she studied drama and speech. During this time, she developed her Native American identity. In 1969, she joined the United Bay Indian Council. She said she took part in the occupation of Alcatraz in 1970, a protest for Native American rights, though some people have questioned this. Around this time, she started using the name Sacheen Littlefeather. She said Sacheen was a name her father called her, and Littlefeather came from a feather she always wore. She learned more about Native American customs from elders and other activists.

In 1974, Littlefeather took acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater. She learned skills like yoga, fencing, and dancing for her acting career. She played a role in the movie Winterhawk.

Starting Her Career

Littlefeather wanted to be an actress. She appeared in several radio and TV commercials and joined the Screen Actors Guild. She once said she learned to act because she had to "act out messages" to communicate with her father, who was deaf. In 1970, she was named Miss Vampire USA as part of a promotion for a movie called House of Dark Shadows.

In the early 1970s, Littlefeather lived in the San Francisco Bay area. She took part in the 1971 American Indian Festival at Foothill College. She also helped organize the 1972 American Indian Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts. She worked at a radio station, KFRC, and did reporting for PBS station KQED.

In October 1973, because of her fame from the Academy Awards, a magazine published her photographs. Some people criticized her for using her fame this way. But she explained it was a "business agreement" to earn money to attend a festival in France. Looking back, Littlefeather later said, "I was young and dumb."

In January 1973, she appeared in an article about makeup for minority women and was called a professional model. As a spokesperson for the National American Indian Council, she protested President Richard Nixon's cuts to federal programs for Native Americans in February 1973. She also took part in a meeting with the Federal Communications Commission about how minorities were shown on television.

Littlefeather continued to look for acting jobs. She toured with the "Red Earth Theater Company." In 1975, she said she was working on a movie script about Edward S. Curtis, a famous photographer of Native Americans.

The 1973 Academy Awards Speech

How it Happened

Marlon Brando at the March on Washington in 1963

There are different stories about how Sacheen Littlefeather first met Marlon Brando. In an early interview, she said they met "through his interest in the Indian movement." Another story says that director Francis Ford Coppola introduced them. Littlefeather later said she got Brando's address from Coppola and wrote him a letter about Native American issues. Brando then called her at the radio station where she worked.

In 1972, Brando starred as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Many people consider it one of the greatest films ever made. Brando was nominated for Best Actor at the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973. Before the ceremony, Brando decided he would not accept the award if he won. This was a protest by the AIM against the ongoing situation at Wounded Knee. It was also a protest against how Native Americans were shown in American films. He called Littlefeather and asked her to appear on his behalf. She later said, "I was a spokesperson, so to speak, for the stereotype of Native Americans in film and television."

The Awards Ceremony

Littlefeather arrived at the awards show just before the Best Actor award was announced. She wore a traditional buckskin dress with fringe and beads, and moccasins. Her long dark hair was tied with Native-style beadwork. Producer Howard W. Koch told her she only had 60 seconds to speak, even though Brando had written a very long speech. She had to shorten it.

Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann and British actor Roger Moore presented the Best Actor award. After they announced Brando as the winner, Littlefeather walked onto the stage. She raised her hand to politely decline the Oscar trophy that Moore offered her. She then spoke, explaining why Brando could not accept the award:

Hello. My name is Sacheen Littlefeather. I'm Apache and I am president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee. I'm representing Marlon Brando this evening, and he has asked me to tell you in a very long speech which I cannot share with you presently, because of time, but I will be glad to share with the press afterwards, that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry—excuse me... [booing and applause] and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee. 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. Thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando. [applause]

After her speech, Moore walked Littlefeather off stage. She later said some people made mocking gestures towards her. At a press conference later, Littlefeather read Brando's full speech to reporters. The New York Times published the speech the next day.

Other people at the ceremony also commented on the event. Actress Raquel Welch joked, "I hope the winner doesn't have a cause." When Clint Eastwood presented an award, he joked about cowboys in Western movies. Michael Caine, who was hosting, criticized Brando for sending Littlefeather instead of speaking himself.

Later Work and Activism

Littlefeather was recognized for her work with the Red Earth Indian Theater Company in Seattle. She received an Eagle Spirit Award in 2013. In 1978, it was reported that Littlefeather would travel to Newfoundland to protest the seal hunt with the Greenpeace Foundation. She also advised on a PBS show called Dance in America: Song for Dead Warriors (1984).

As a staff member of the American Indian Center, Littlefeather took part in a conference about Native Americans in media in 1978. As the director of the First Nation Education Resource Center in San Francisco, she spoke about a letter given to Nelson Mandela. This letter from Native American leaders in Oakland talked about problems like healthcare and unemployment.

She continued her activism and became a respected member of California's Native American community. She helped change the mascot at Tamalpais High School in the late 1980s. She also criticized the use of an Indian-themed mascot at Tomales High in 2001. In the 1980s, she led prayer circles for Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American Catholic saint.

A 1987 article said Littlefeather received an award for her work in the Traditional Indian Medicine Program at St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, Arizona. She also said she was one of the first teachers in this program.

In 1988, she served on the board of directors for the American Indian AIDS Institute of San Francisco. Around this time, Littlefeather worked at the Gift of Love AIDS hospice in San Francisco. She even met Mother Teresa during her visits to the facility. Littlefeather campaigned against obesity and diabetes, and helped Native Americans facing serious illnesses.

In 1991, Littlefeather was credited with helping to start the American Indian Registry for Performing Arts. This group helps Native Americans in the arts and entertainment fields. She also gave testimony in the 2009 documentary Reel Injun, which explored how Native Americans are shown in films.

In 2015, Littlefeather reported that her name and image were being used falsely to raise money that was supposed to go to the Lakota nation, but it never was.

In November 2019, she received the Brando Award from the Red Nation International Film Festival. This award honors people who have contributed to the American Indian community. She also took part in events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz.

Personal Life

In 1973, Littlefeather married engineer Michael Rubio. Later, she was in a 32-year relationship with Charles Koshiway Johnston, whom she married. He passed away in 2021.

Littlefeather studied nutrition and holistic health. She said she wanted to travel to Europe to "see where the white people came from," just as people visit reservations to learn about Native Americans. While traveling, she became interested in different foods and noticed similarities between dishes from various cultures.

Health and Passing

Littlefeather spoke about her experiences with serious health issues throughout her life. She mentioned having tuberculosis as a child. In 1974, she said Marlon Brando helped her get medical care when she was in pain, and her Oscar speech was a way to thank him.

At age 29, she had a serious lung problem. After recovering, she earned a degree in holistic health and nutrition, focusing on Native American medicine. She believed this practice helped her recover. In 1991, it was reported she was recovering from cancer surgery. In 1999, an article stated she had developed colon cancer in the early 1990s.

In 2018, Littlefeather developed breast cancer again. She said in a 2021 interview that the cancer had spread and was very serious.

Sacheen Littlefeather passed away at her home in Novato, California, on October 2, 2022, at the age of 75.

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