Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who cemented his place in history when he declined actor Marlon Brando’s Oscar at the 1973 Academy Awards, has died at the age of 75.
Littlefeather died around noon surrounded by loved ones at her home in Novato, Calif., according to her caregiver. She has been battling breast cancer since at least 2018 and the disease metastasized in recent years, the New York Post reported
Her death came just two weeks after she was honored at a celebration hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where she spoke of her impending death.
“I’m going to the spirit world soon and you know, I’m not afraid to die,” he said at the event. “Because we/us/ours come from a society. We don’t come from a me/me/myself society. And we learn to give gifts from an early age. When we are honored, we give.”
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The Academy, which announced his death Sunday night, had formally apologized to Littlefeather in June for its treatment of him after the 1973 Oscars.
Littlefeather, who was 26 at the time, had attended the award ceremony in place of Brando, who had decided to boycott the awards in protest of Hollywood’s portrayal and treatment of Native Americans and to acknowledge the ongoing occupation of Wounded Knee by the American Indian movement. South Dakota
Activist – and actress herself – took the stage and turned down the Oscar Brando won the godfather and delivered a speech denouncing the treatment of Native Americans at his request.
Littlefeather, dressed in traditional Apache clothing, told the star-studded audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, as well as 86 million viewers watching from home, that Brando would not accept the award.
“Unfortunately, he cannot accept this very generous award and the reasons for this being the treatment of American Indians today by the film and television industry in film reruns, and also with the recent events at Wounded Knee,” Littlefeather said to a mix of applause and boos.
Brando had given her a speech he wrote that was eight pages long, but she couldn’t read it all under the time constraints of the awards ceremony. The News from New York he published the full speech three days later.
After its appearance, Littlefeather faced a significant backlash from the media and conservative Hollywood elites. She later said the protest stunt killed her acting career as she said her guild membership was revoked and she was essentially blacklisted from the industry.
“I was blacklisted, or, you could say, redlisted,” Littlefeather said in a 2018 documentary about his life. “Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett and others didn’t want me on their shows. … The doors were sealed shut, never to be opened again.”
Nearly 50 years later, this June, he finally received an apology from the Academy.
“The abuse you suffered because of this statement was unwarranted and unwarranted,” AMPAS President David Rubin wrote in a June 18 letter to Littlefeather. “The emotional toll you have experienced and the cost to your own career in our industry is irreparable.”
Rubin apologized and praised the activist.
“For too long the courage you showed has gone unrecognized,” he said. “For that, we offer our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
Littlefeather said she was surprised by the Academy’s apology.
“I was shocked. I never thought I would live to see the day when I would hear this, experience this,” Littlefeather said. The Hollywood Reporter in August “When I got on the podium in 1973, I was alone.”
Last month, the Academy held an evening of reflection with Littlefeather as guest of honor at the Academy Museum.
“I’m here accepting this apology, not just for myself, but in recognition, knowing that it wasn’t just for me, but for all of our nations who also need to hear and deserve this apology tonight,” he said in the ceremony “Look at our people. Look at each other and be proud that we are all survivors.”
Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz in Salinas, California on November 14, 1946. Her father was Apache and Yaqui, while her mother was white. She was raised primarily by her maternal grandparents and began to connect with her Native roots while attending California State University, where she met other activists who changed her name.
She participated in the Native Occupation attempt to reclaim Alcatraz Island in 1969 and served as chairwoman of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee while working on her acting career.
Littlefeather later left Hollywood and began a career in holistic health with a focus on traditional native medicines.
He also co-founded the non-profit National American Indian Performing Arts Registry in the 1980s and continued to advocate for the representation of Native Americans in Hollywood throughout his life.
Two weeks ago, at the Academy Museum event, Littlefeather asked others to speak their truths in her memory.
“Please, as I go, always remember that as long as I stand for your truth, you will keep my voice and the voices of our nations and our people alive,” he said.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission