Almost 50 years after being booed on the Oscars stage for refusing an award, on behalf of Marlon Brando, in protest of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans, Sacheen Littlefeather was honored Saturday by the Academy of Arts and the sciences of film. In a moving ceremony in Los Angeles, punctuated by Native American dances and songs, the Academy issued a public apology to Sacheen Littlefeather, once celebrated by activists for her approach but ostracized by film professionals. Sacheen Littlefeather, who is Apache and Yaqui, had been jeered at the 1973 ceremony as she explained why Marlon Brando, whom she portrayed in her absence, could not accept his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather because of the “treatment of American Indians today by the cinema industry”. e proud Indian woman, with dignity, with courage, with grace and with humility“. “I knew I had to tell the truth. Some people could accept it. And some don’t.” Sacheen Littlefeather says western star John Wayne had to be stopped from physically attacking her as she left the stage. Screen Actors’ Guild, the union of film professionals, the actress then struggled to land contracts in Hollywood, casting directors having been dissuaded from hiring her. Former Academy President David Rubin, who apologized to her in June, took to the stage, referring to the “emotional burden” carried by the Native American activist and “the cost to (her) own career“.“During too long the courage you have shown has gone unrecognized. For this, we present to you both our deepest apologies but also our sincere admiration“. The apology comes as the movie industry grapples with what many see as a culture of sexism, racism and impunity. “The academy and our industry are at an inflection point,” Rubin said on Saturday. , especially racism. An exhibition deals with the harassment suffered by the actress.
