Three weeks later Sacheen Littlefeather’s deathA writer has made allegations that the famous activist and former actress spent her life disguised as a Native American. Littlefeather died on October 2 of metastatic breast cancer at the age of 75.
in Piece Posted in San Francisco Chronicle”Saturday’s open forum opinion section, Jacqueline Keeler (Deneh/Dakota) claims Littlefeather, who cemented her folk cultural heritage when she took the stage in 1973 Oscars To refuse the Oscar for Best Actor Marlon BrandoHe was of Mexican descent and white. During her lifetime, Littlefeather, born Marie-Louise Cruz, was identified as an Apache and Yaki by her father’s side. (There was no dispute that her mother was white.)
Keeler writes that, according to her research on historical documents, Little Feather’s father’s ancestry goes back to Mexico, not the Apache and Yaki counties of Arizona, and that there are no records of family members recording in any tribes present in the land now known as the United States. Furthermore, Keeler interviewed Littlefeather’s younger Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi, who said Littlefeather lied about their family and invented their origins in an effort to excel in the entertainment industry. The Keller sisters told that they remained silent, thinking Littlefeather’s fame would fade, but were upset at seeing her “revered as a saint”. They added that they learned of Littlefeather’s death through the news. On Friday, they appeared in Littlefeather . funeral massCruz took to the pulpit and told the assembled mourners that their sister had lived with a lifelong mental illness and cursed her parents with her accounts of her difficult and abusive childhood.
Keeler writes in her column that she has begun investigating Littlefeather’s history as part of her ongoing research on “Pretendians,” a list she began compiling in January 2021 of individuals who erroneously claim their original identity. Keeler and her list It is considered controversial Within the Aboriginal community, some have argued that her research methods are unclear and that she has kidnapped a number of individuals without solid evidence. “I don’t want to give Keeler light oxygen,” chirp Rutherford Falls Show and co-creator Sierra Ornelas on Saturday after publishing Keeler’s column.
This summer, Littlefeather returned to the public consciousness when Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences I formally apologize her for abuse and being blacklisted after the 1973 Academy Awards. (She was first accused of being a performer for hire pretending to be Native American at the time.) Littlefeather was Honored at the Academy Museum During an evening to reflect and celebrate Native American culture in September, two weeks before her death.
The academy declined to comment on the latest accusations. The Hollywood Reporter He reached out to Keeler for comment.
. “Friendly writer. Unapologetic student. Typical internetaholic. Social media ninja. Communicator. Music fanatic.”