It took 50 years for the Academy to apologise to and honour Sacheen Littlefeather

50 years after her onstage humiliation at the Oscar ceremony, Native American activist and actress Sacheen Littlefeather received a formal apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will be guest of honour at an Academy hosted event in September

But who is Sacheen Littlefeather, and why does the Academy find the need to make amends for past lapses now? 

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 and on television in movie reruns, 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.

The brief speech was met with a cacophony of cheers and jeers from what she has since described as an overwhelmingly white audience.

A reported six security guards had to hold actor John Wayne back, as the Western star allegedly attempted to physically attack Littlefeather onstage in a drunken stupor. 

The humiliation: Later at the same ceremony, Raquel Welch mocked Littlefeather’s speech while presenting the award for Best Actress saying, "I hope the winner doesn’t have a cause”.

Oscar-winner Clint Eastwood jeered in similar fashion while presenting the award for Best Picture, claiming that he was presenting it “on behalf of all the cowboys shot in John Ford Westerns over the years” .

After the show, Littlefeather read the full speech in a press conference and The New York Times published it in its entirety. 

Blacklisted by Hollywood: In the aftermath of the ceremony, Littlefeather’s appearance prompted the Academy to rule out future proxy acceptance of Oscars. According to her, she was blacklisted by Hollywood and received threats. 

There was a reported media witch hunt against Littlefeather when several falsehoods with the intention of discrediting her, began to appear including a narrative claiming she was not Native American and had rented the outfit for the occasion. 

Littlefeather claimed that these media narratives were deliberately perpetuated in order to draw attention away from the conflict at the Wounded Knee protests.

Nearly 40 years later: the narrative surrounding the Littlefeather speech was tinged with racial stereotypes with the intention of berating the activist. In an interview with Tonight Show host Jay Leno, comedian Dennis Miller mocked senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren by calling her “as much as Indian as the stripper chick Brando sent to pick up his Oscar”.

Over the years, Littlefeather underwent serious health issues including breast cancer. Last year, she revealed that the cancer had metastasized to her lung and she was terminally ill.

Half a century since the events of the 1973 Oscar ceremony, AMPAS President David Ruben has issued a formally drafted apology to Littlefeather in a Statement of Reconciliation dated June 18, 2022, 

The statement of apology will be read in full at the September 17 Academy Museum event honouring Littlefeather, who will participate in a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the Academy’s Indigenous Alliance, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather, hosted by the Academy, will be free to the public via online reservations on September 17.