Sacheen Littlefeather’s Sisters Say Actress Lied About Ancestry

The two sisters of Sacheen Littlefeather (1946-2022) claim the actress about her indigenous ancestry. A few days after the model and activist passed away at the age of 75, Trudy Orlandi and Rosalind Cruz still claimed that she was known as “Deb” in their family.

“It’s a lie. My father was who he was. His family came from Mexico. And my father was born in Oxnard,” Orlandi said. “It’s a fraud. It’s repugnant to the heritage of tribal people. And it’s an insult to my parents,” Cruz added in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

Littlefeather claimed to belong to the White Mountain Apache and Yaqui tribes on his father’s side. The artist was marked in history in 1973, at the 45th Academy Awards, the year she turned down the best actor award on behalf of Marlon Brando for his role in “The Godfather” (1972), in protest against the industry’s treatment of with Native Americans.

Cruz and Orlandi further stated that they intend to restore their parents’ reputation as Littlefeather is being “venerated as a saint”. They also said the claim that her father was an alcoholic and abused them and their mother is false.

Orlandi says she is enraged that her sister lied about having a violent and poor upbringing, and that she stole her father’s childhood experience. “My father was deaf and lost his hearing at age 9 because of meningitis,” Cruz said. “He was born into poverty. His father, George Cruz, was a violent alcoholic and used to beat him. And he was passed on to foster and family homes.”

Littlefeather died on October 2 of this year from breast cancer. She was at her home in Marin County, California. “Littlefeather dedicated her life to the health and well-being of Natives everywhere. She was known for her sense of humor, quick wit, and fierce advocacy of Native American and Native American communities,” read a press release.