In a recent story on the PBS News Hour by Courtney Norris about Hollywood taking a new interest in tales from and about today's Indigenous Americans, I was reminded about a story Micco Busemanolotome Osceola, founder of the New Seminole, loved to tell over and over again about Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather. Way back in 1973, Littlefeather became world famous for not accepting Marlon Brando's Oscar® as Best Actor for his portrayal of Don Corleone in The Godfather. When I told Busi I had never heard of her, he whipped out a military sat phone and like a kid who couldn't wait to show us something, proceeded to play a YouTube video for Nokosee and me in a hidden chickee deep in the Everglades. Her brave speech got boos (and later industry blacklisting of her) but she still touches the heart today with her carefully chosen words and quiet nonconfrontational demeanor. I hope someday if I live long enough that I'll become just like her, that I'll have that same pacific, graceful personality.
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