Remembering Actress, Activist, And SF Local Sacheen Littlefeather

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Beloved actress and trailblazing activist Sacheen Littlefeather has recently passed away at age 75 from breast cancer. Aside from her committed talents both on and off the screen as a later healthcare provider, Sacheen is best known for her powerful advocacy towards proper Native American cinematic representation and public recognition.

She made pivotal history during both her involvement in the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz island in 1969, and her later boycott of the 1973 Academy Awards where she spoke on behalf of Marlon Brandon declining his award. Her strong achievements and noble strides will be remembered by the Native community and beyond, particularly in the Bay Area where she called home for most of her life.

See also: SF Bay Area Indigenous & Native American Organizations To Know

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Sacheen was born in Salinas on November 14, 1946, coming from White Mountains Apache and Yaqui descent and originally named Marie Cruz. She attended North Salinas High School before moving to San Francisco in 1969 to attend Hayward's California State College and achieve her dream of acting.

There in college she became fully involved with the United Bay Indian Council, changing her name to Sacheen Littlefeather (Sacheen meaning "little bear"), and taking part in the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island.

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This momentous movement was a protest that aimed to cede the land rightfully to the Native Americans under the Treaty of Laramie through a steadfast residing on the island, lasting a historic 19 months that also sparked the era's Red Power Movement.

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Futile efforts by the Coast Guard, federal negotiators, and the FBI to remove them only further led to their favor in raising awareness towards their Alcatraz Proclamation, which cleverly and sardonically mimicked the same policies that Europeans used to take indigenous Indian land.

Celebrities such as Jane Fonda, the Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Marlon Brando showed support for the occupation, the latter of whom would consistently show solidarity with Sacheen's activism, calling her personally on a radio station where she worked.

Between 1970-1972, Sacheen was a prolific actress and model, joining the Screen Actors Guild, organizing the 1972 American Indian Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts, and even reporting for PBS and KQED.

The 1973 Academy Awards saw one of the most notable moments thanks to Sacheen, who came up on stage to take Marlon Brando's award for Best Actor (for The Godfather) in his place.

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In her speech, she declared that she was boycotting the awards for their improper and offensive depictions of Native Americans in cinema, as well as with the ongoing events at Wounded Knee. This was met with a mixed crowd response, and later got her blacklisted by Hollywood, though the Academy formally apologized for such abuse years later.

Littlefeather responded to this with, "We Indians are very patient people, it’s only been 50 years!"

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While Brando passed away in 2004 at the age of 80, Sacheen spent her later years in Novato working in hospice care. "That has been particularly beautiful for me," Sacheen remarked to the Globe and Mail in 2016, "a great honor to work with those people who are crossing over to the spirit world.”

She battled cancer until she passed on October 2, 2022, where she was surrounded by all her loved ones.

Her triumphant activism, courageous efforts, and talented cinematic legacy will surely be remembered and honored by not only our local Bay indigenous community, but nationwide, as resilient movements only continue to fight for the advancement and equality of Native Americans against marginalization.

See also: 10 Bay Area and National Organizations With LGBTQ+ Resources to Platform For Pride Month