Activist’s Bombshell Claim About Sacheen Littlefeather Sparks Fury

Sacheen Littlefeather’s image has lived in infamy after she took the stage at the 1973 Oscars to speak on the mistreatment of Native American people in the film industry. Now, a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle argues that Littlefeather, who died earlier this month, was a fraud. Writer Jacqueline Keeler, who rose in infamy herself after publishing a list of people she claimed where “Pretendians” in 2021, claims Littlefeather wasn’t Native, and is backed by some of the actress and activist’s estranged sisters.

Littlefeather’s act in 1973, declining Marlon Brando’s Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf, brought immense backlash within the industry. The Academy apologized to Littlefeather in a letter reported in April. “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” former Academy President David Rubin said.

Keeler followed her piece with a Substack article, asking the question: “Did the Academy apologize to a fraud?”

“It’s a lie,” Trudy Orlandi, Littlefeather’s sister, told Keeler. “My father was who he was. His family came from Mexico. And my dad was born in Oxnard.”

Another sister, Rosalind Cruz, took to Twitter to call Littlefeather “mentally ill” and claiming neither she nor her sister are Native. Cruz also tweeted she learned her “true heritage” from Keeler’s research.

Joseph M. Pierce, an associate professor of Latin American and Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Keeler’s claims were true. At the same time, he said the piece has a “gotcha ethos” that could prove harmful.

“It’s a little disappointing to me how people can take delight in this,” he said. “[The piece] tries to make black and white things that actually have nuance.”

Keeler has faced backlash for her list, which allegedly included LinkedIn profiles and places of employment alongside the names. Several people on the list have also denied Keeler’s claims of fraud. Nadema Agard, a New York City visual artist who claims Lakota, Cherokee and Powhatan ancestry, was listed. She called Keeler’s allegations a “witch-hunt” and provided proof of her ancestry, the New York Post reported in January.

Saturday’s article in The Chronicle spurred backlash from many Native American people. Ashley Fairbanks, an Anishinaabe writer and digital strategist took to Twitter to say “I hate that Native people have to spend a single breath talking about Jacqueline Keeler.”

“There’s so many things hurting our communities, and there’s so many beautiful things to celebrate, and her witch hunt sucks up all the oxygen,” she added.

Pierce added the piece “preys on people’s insecurities rather than proposing a type of repair.”

“It’s like putting your finger in a wound, you know? Rather than trying to heal the wound.”