--- description: Sacheen Littlefeather, who died Oct. 2, calmly advocated for Indigenous people in Hollywood, despite boos and threats, "Reservation Dogs" actor Devery Jacobs writes. title: Sacheen Littlefeather Paved the Way for Indigenous Actors Like Me image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd396e5e63ce5fd5c/698a366a16d884ed69c3b21d/sacheen-littlefeather.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [remembrance](/tag/remembrance/) ## remembrance Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Sacheen Littlefeather Paved the Way for Indigenous Actors Like Me by [Devery Jacobs](/author/devery-jacobs/) ## Devery Jacobs Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2022 10:10 PM CUT  Sacheen Littlefeather holds a written statement from actor Marlon Brando refusing his Best Actor Oscar on stage at the Academy Awards on March 27, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. Sacheen Littlefeather holds a written statement from actor Marlon Brando refusing his Best Actor Oscar on stage at the Academy Awards on March 27, 1973 in Los Angeles, California.Michael Ochs Archvies–Getty Images by [Devery Jacobs](/author/devery-jacobs/) ## Devery Jacobs Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2022 10:10 PM CUT I was 11 years old, the first time I watched the clip of Indigenous actor [Sacheen Littlefeather](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU "undefined") at the 1973 Academy Awards. Littlefeather, who died Oct. 2, 2022 at 75, took the stage on Marlon Brando’s behalf, accepting his award in protest of Hollywood’s depiction of Native Americans. That night, while calmly delivering her speech, Sacheen [received boos and threats for her message](https://time.com/6161748/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-oscars-nuance/ "undefined"). Sacheen’s impact shaped my perspective on what it means to be an Indigenous actor and activist. It also reaffirmed my responsibility to carry the voice of my community into the entertainment industry—despite it not always welcoming us. Being part of a new wave of Indigenous creatives, and being on a show like [_Reservation Dogs_](https://time.com/6202872/reservation-dogs-fx/ "undefined"), has felt like whiplash. Only recently have our stories been told in mainstream media. Every inch has been fought for. The groundwork laid by Sacheen Littlefeather and other Indigenous trailblazers, continues to help [make our successes possible](https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2022/6213726/devery-jacobs/ "undefined"). _—As told to Sanya Mansoor_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6221718/devery-jacobs-sacheen-littlefeather/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6221718/devery-jacobs-sacheen-littlefeather/"},"headline":"How Sacheen Littlefeather Paved the Way for Indigenous Actors Like Me","datePublished":"2022-10-13T22:10:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T12:37:58.081Z","description":"Sacheen Littlefeather, who died Oct. 2, calmly advocated for Indigenous people in Hollywood, despite boos and threats, \"Reservation Dogs\" actor Devery Jacobs writes.","url":"https://time.com/6221718/devery-jacobs-sacheen-littlefeather/","keywords":["remembrance","Magazine","nationpod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd396e5e63ce5fd5c/698a366a16d884ed69c3b21d/sacheen-littlefeather.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Devery Jacobs","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/devery-jacobs/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd396e5e63ce5fd5c/698a366a16d884ed69c3b21d/sacheen-littlefeather.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1973 Oscars","caption":"1973 Oscars","creditText":"Michael Ochs Archvies–Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/remembrance/","name":"remembrance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6221718/devery-jacobs-sacheen-littlefeather/","name":"How Sacheen Littlefeather Paved the Way for Indigenous Actors Like Me"}}]}] ```