Sacheen Littlefeather
| Sacheen Littlefeather | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marie Louise Cruz November 14, 1946 Salinas, California |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist |
Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Louise Cruz; November 14, 1946) is an American actress and activist for Native American civil rights. She gave a speech at the 45th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 1973, for actor Marlon Brando, to decline the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Godfather. The speech was a protest at the treatment of Native Americans by the film industry and television.
Littlefeather was born in Salinas, California. Her ancestry is Apache, Yaqui, and Pueblo on her father's side, while her mother is of French, German, and Dutch descent. She claims that her father was from the White Mountain Apache and Yaqui tribes of Arizona and that "Cruz" is her father's recognized tribal name.
A member of Indians of All Tribes, Littlefeather participated in the occupation of Alcatraz Island by American Indians' rights activists in 1969.
Marlon Brando became involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the early 1970s. Despite being the favourite to win the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972), Brando decided to boycott the ceremony as a protest against the ongoing siege at Wounded Knee and his views on how American Indians were being portrayed in Hollywood movies or on American television. In early 1973, he contacted AIM about providing a person to accept an Oscar on his behalf. Native American leaders, Dennis Banks and Russell Means, picked Sacheen Littlefeather to collect the award.
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