Sacheen Littlefeather was born on November 14, 1946 in Salinas, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), Johnny Firecloud (1975) and Winterhawk (1975). She was married to Charles Koshiway Johnston. She died on October 2, 2022 in Novato, California, USA.
In 1969 she, along with other members of the activist group Indians of All Tribes, occupied Alcatraz Island as a protest against the U.S. government's resistance to native land claims.
Around 2021, Jacqueline Keeler, an American Indian researcher, identified Sacheen Littlefeather as a 'Pretendian,' who are persons making false claims to American Indian heritage.
Her mother was Caucasian, and her father was of Mexican ancestry.
In their youth, the three Cruz sisters - Trudy, Rosalind, and Marie attended 4H Club meetings. They made clothing items there using materials supplied by the Sacheen Ribbon Company. This may be the origin of Marie's new name when she invented her American Indian identity.
She is the Executive Director of the Kateri Prayer Circle in San Francisco.