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Activist’s Bombshell Claim About Sacheen Littlefeather Sparks Fury

Stevicus

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Activist’s Bombshell Claim About Sacheen Littlefeather Sparks Fury (thedailybeast.com)

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.”
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I remember when this happened, when Marlon Brando refused the Oscar and she came to explain why. I didn't know she had been blacklisted, though.

Apparently, she was on a list of alleged "Pretendians" who were said to have claimed Native ancestry but didn't. Some who were listed are complaining about the book and that they can prove they have Native ancestry. Others are calling it a "witch hunt" and say draws attention away from real issues facing Native American communities.

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

PureX

Veteran Member
The interesting thing is that even if these "pretendians" are pretenders, exposing them as such only gives fuel to anyone looking to discredit indigenous American causes by claiming it's a publicity stunt stages by "pretendians".

Sometimes you gotta learn when it's best to just keep your mouth shut.
 
The Hammer

The Hammer

Skald
Premium Member
Stevicus said:
Activist’s Bombshell Claim About Sacheen Littlefeather Sparks Fury (thedailybeast.com)



I remember when this happened, when Marlon Brando refused the Oscar and she came to explain why. I didn't know she had been blacklisted, though.

Apparently, she was on a list of alleged "Pretendians" who were said to have claimed Native ancestry but didn't. Some who were listed are complaining about the book and that they can prove they have Native ancestry. Others are calling it a "witch hunt" and say draws attention away from real issues facing Native American communities.
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I think it also depends on the fact that different tribes of Native Americans have different blood quantum requirements for membership.

These people.may have Native Ancestry, yet, not enough genetic blood for the tribe to consider it official.

Blood Quantum and its role in Native Identity — The Indigenous Foundation.
 
Twilight Hue

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Depends. Some nations took in non natives and integrated. It all depends on lineage.
 
Subduction Zone

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
The Hammer said:
I think it also depends on the fact that different tribes of Native Americans have different blood quantum requirements for membership.

These people.may have Native Ancestry, yet, not enough genetic blood for the tribe to consider it official.

Blood Quantum and its role in Native Identity — The Indigenous Foundation.
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That is like my housemate. She is Native American. Her kids are not. Her tribe is rather poor, but she did have some land that she would not have been able to pass on to her kids.
 
The Hammer

The Hammer

Skald
Premium Member
Subduction Zone said:
That is like my housemate. She is Native American. Her kids are not. Her tribe is rather poor, but she did have some land that she would not have been able to pass on to her kids.
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Yup it's sad. They are using 'white man' statistics and rules to determine tribal affiliation
 
Subduction Zone

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
At any rate both sides see the actions of the others are "genocidal" when it comes to the blood quantum. One side says that it leads to an end of the tribes because the number of high percentage natives keeps dropping. The other side sees it as genocidal since the percentage of "pure blood" in the tribe will keep dropping,.
 
Shadow Wolf

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
I wonder about the psychology behind it amd what it's is, like similarly how some non-Jewish groups claim to have Jewish ancestry. We've not seen a brain or genetic thing going on like we do with trans people to help explain it, so it is a curious thing.
 
Shadow Wolf

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
The Hammer said:
I think it also depends on the fact that different tribes of Native Americans have different blood quantum requirements for membership.

These people.may have Native Ancestry, yet, not enough genetic blood for the tribe to consider it official.

Blood Quantum and its role in Native Identity — The Indigenous Foundation.
Click to expand...
I think that is probably a chunk of it. Anyone in America with a family going back more than a couple generations probably has some Native somewhere down the line.
And I do strongly believe the Tribes set their own standards on who can formally belong. My dad's great grandma was Cherokee, but I have a resemblance to my Irish great grandmother so it would be understandable if the Cherokee wouldn't appreciate me calling myself one.
 
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