The legacy of Sacheen Littlefeather has been questioned by her family. Littlefeather’s two sisters claimed in a bombshell interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that she lied about her indigenous ancestry and was previously known by the family as “Deb.”
Littlefeather passed away earlier this month at the age of 75. Trudy Orlandi said of her sister, “It’s a lie” “My father was himself. His family originated in Mexico. My father was born in Oxnard.
Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who refused the Oscar to Marlon Brando, has died at the age of 75. Rosalind Cruz, Littlefeather’s other sister, remarked, “It is a fraud.” It is offensive to the culture of the indigenous people. Furthermore, it is insulting to my parents.”
Littlefeather, who claimed descent from the White Mountain Apache and Yaqui tribes on her father’s side, gained notoriety at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, when she refused the award for Best Actor on Marlon Brando’s behalf in protest of the film industry’s treatment of Native Americans.
In addition to being threatened with arrest if her speech lasted longer than 60 seconds and claiming that John Wayne attempted to storm the stage, Littlefeather endured years of public ridicule for the historic television moment.
Littlefeather told PEOPLE in 1990 about the consequences she faced as a result of her Oscars moment. “I’m officially retired as the Academy Award-refuser,” she said, noting that the speech ended her Hollywood career.
The Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for Her Treatment at the 45th Academy Awards: An Inside Look at the Powerful Event. “I went up there believing I could make a difference,” Littlefeather explained.
I was extremely naive. I informed others about oppression. They commented, “You are ruining our evening.” In August, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized to Littlefeather for the mistreatment she endured nearly fifty years prior.
She accepted the apology and was honored onstage at an Academy Museum of Motion Pictures event in Los Angeles last month. Littlefeather passed away on Sunday, October 2 from metastatic breast cancer at her home in Marin County, California, surrounded by friends and family.
A press release from the time stated that Littlefeather devoted her life to the health and well-being of all Native people. She was well-known for her humor, wit, and fierce advocacy for Native American and Indigenous communities.
Cruz and Orlandi came forward to restore the reputation of their parents after Littlefeather claimed their father was a violent alcoholic who abused them and their white mother.
Orlandi stated that it “infuriates” him that she lied about having a violent and impoverished upbringing, which she stole from their father’s childhood.
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Cruz stated that his father had lost his hearing at the age of nine due to meningitis. “He was born impoverished. His father, George Cruz, was a violent alcoholic who frequently beat him.
And he was placed in foster homes and with relatives. But my sister Sacheen assumed responsibility for his fate.” Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best celebrity news and human interest stories the magazine has to offer.
The Chronicle discovered family records in Mexico dating back to 1850, with everyone since 1880 identifying as either white or Mexican. In addition, the White Mountain Apache tribe possessed no enrollment records for Littlefeather or any other living or deceased family members.
Orlandi continued, “The best way I can describe my sister is that she created a fantasy. “She lived and died in a fantasy world.”
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