Meet Sacheen Littlefeather’s family, where we learn about her father, mother, and husband.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Oscars, has formally apologized to actress and Native American elder Sacheen Littlefeather. The American activist appeared at the 1973 Oscars as part of Marlon Brando’s refusal to accept his award.
Although Brando won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Vito Corleone in GodfatherHe chose not to accept it in support of Native American rights, a decision prompted in part by the Native American movement that had occupied the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre (AIM) for two months.
Sacheen instead chose not to accept the award from presenters Roger Moore and Liv Ullmann, and instead gave a short speech in which she stated that Brando’s stance stemmed from “the way Native Americans are treated today by the film industry…and on television, in reruns, and also the recent events at Wounded Knee.”
So, who is her family? What tribe is she from? Who is her husband? Find out about her family in this article.
Who is Sacheen Littlefeather’s family?
Sacheen Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz to Manuel Ybarra Cruz and Geroldine Marie Barnitz on November 14, 1946 in Salinas, California. Although she was conceived in Arizona, her mother left to join her parents in California late in her pregnancy. Her mother came to Salinas and that is where Sacheen was born.
Learn more about her other family members here.
Meet Sacheen Littlefeather Father, Manuel Ybarra Cruz
Sacheen Littlefeather was born to Manuel Ybarra Cruz. Talk to Native American TimesSacheen described her father as a violent alcoholic. She asserted that her father had no respect for women.” She described her father as abusive in a 1976 television interview and said that her mother and two sisters endured his rage and beatings.
“Just being a woman is a disadvantage,” Sacheen said. “I was very quiet around him. It was the best way to be someone else.”
Manuel was born in 1922 and is of White Mountain Apache, Yaqui, and Pueblo ancestry. Cruz is her father’s tribal name. He is a native of Oxnard, California. Manuel is deaf after losing his hearing as a child. Manuel grew up in a family of alcoholics.
“I don’t know much about my dad’s family except that they drank a lot,” Sacheen shared in an interview.
He owns and operates Cruz Saddlery. He and his wife started the business making saddles and horse supplies out of the back of a pickup truck.
“She met my dad there,” Sacheen explained. [Phoenix]. He was an Apache and a Yaqui from the White Mountains. He was a saddle maker,” she added. “He taught me how to make saddles.”
Manuel died at the age of 44 in Salinas in 1966, where he had lived for 20 years. In addition to his family, he is survived by his sister, Lucy Argott, of Canoga Park, California.
She claims that Sacheen was the name her father gave her before he died, while Littlefeather comes from the feather she used to wear in her hair.
Meet Sacheen Littlefeather Mother, Geroldine Marie Barnitz
Geroldine Marie Barnitz was described by Sacheen Littlefeather as a “free spirit”. She was of French-German-Dutch ancestry.
In a 1974 interview, Sacheen said that her mother left her father when she was three years old and sent her to live with her maternal grandparents. At the time, she was ill with tuberculosis and her grandparents came and saved her life. Geroldine then left her with her white maternal grandparents, Sacheen’s grandmother Marie Barnitz (who shares her name with Sacheen), whom she affectionately calls “the modern-day Millie,” and her paternal grandfather Gerold “Barney” Barnitz, who served in the army during World War I.
This is described as her being either “adopted” or raised. “He had big hands. He always held my little hand in his and we prayed together. We used to say the rosary together,” she said of her grandfather.
Sacheen spent some time with her mother. She remembers traveling with her through Mississippi. That’s when she realized she was different. “My mother used one bathroom and I had to use the other,” she said. “I had to use the ‘black’ drinking fountain and the ‘black’ bathroom. That’s what I remember so clearly. That and the sign, ‘No dogs or Indians allowed.’”
Geroldine continued to run the business after her father died. Before her marriage, she worked as a trained leather stamper in Phoenix. While some accounts say Geroldine learned to make saddles from her husband, others say Geroldine learned the trade from Leo Leonard, who owned Leonard Saddle Co. in Santa Barbara.
Who are the Sacheen Littlefeather siblings?
Sacheen Littlefeather has two older sisters; Trudy and Rosalind Cruz. Not much is known about her two older sisters.
Does Sacheen Littlefeather have a husband?
Sacheen Littlefeather married her soul mate, Charles Thomas Johnston (Koshiway). The night before they met, Sacheen had a dream in which she saw an Indian man wearing a white Stetson cowboy hat. She woke up the next morning, went to a Pow Wow party, and met the man of her dreams. Charles lifted his cowboy hat, looked Sacheen straight in the eye, and asked in a soft Oklahoma accent, “How are you?” This was the beginning of 32 wonderful years together.
Charles was born on August 29, 1942. He is an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma. Charles is the son of Charles Johnston (part Delaware) and Thelma Gertrude Koshiway (Otoe/Sac&Fox).
He was a member of the Eagle and Bear Clans. In 1914, his ancestor, Jonathan Koshiway, was one of the first leaders of the Native American Church. Charles’ family moved to California under the Indian Removal Program when he was two years old, and he lived there for the rest of his life.
Charles served in the Vietnam War and was inducted into the “Confederate Cheyenne Veterans Association” in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1992. He was a master of bird calls, and when he called them, birds would fly to him.
Charles was a member of Otoe Eloska and regularly danced at the Osage I-Lon-schka and the California Hethushka.
They had no children together. While alive, Charles and Sacheen adopted a baby girl named Coleen from Korea. He raised her as his own. Charles died on November 22, 2021, after a battle with cancer at the age of 79.
Related FAQs
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Where does Sacheen Littlefeather’s family live?
Sacheen Littlefeather currently lives in various locations in California. She currently resides in San Rafael, California.
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Who in Sacheen Littlefeather’s family is still alive?
Although Sacheen Littlefeather is a private person, among her family members, the surviving members are likely her sisters, their families, and her daughter Coleen.
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Is anyone in Sacheen Littlefeather’s family of note?
No, Coleen is probably the only family member who gets noticed.