'' Playboy '' magazine planned a spread called " 10 Little Indians " in 1972 , and one of the models was Littlefeather , but '' Playboy '' editors cancelled its publication due to the Wounded Knee incident . A year later in October 1973 , after her Academy Award appearance fame , they ran the photographs of Littlefeather as a stand-alone feature . Littlefeather was personally criticized for what was seen as exploitation of her fame . Looking back at the photo shoot , Littlefeather later said , " I was young and dumb . " Littlefeather got in contact with actor Marlon Brando through her neighbor , director Francis Ford Coppola . She wrote Brando a letter , asking about his interest in Native American issues , and he called the radio station where she worked a year later . Brando had worked as an activist with the American Indian Movement ( AIM ) since the 1960s and into the 1970s . In Washington , D.C. , where Littlefeather was presenting to the Federal Communications Commission about minorities , they met and found in common their involvement with AIM . In 1972 , Brando played Vito Corleone in '' The Godfather '' , which is considered one of the greatest films of all time . For the performance , he was nominated for Best Actor for the role at the 45th Academy Awards , which were presented on March 27 , 1973 , at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles , California . But before the ceremony , Brando decided that – as the favorite to win – he would boycott as a protest led by AIM against the ongoing siege at Wounded Knee and his views on how Native Americans were represented in American films . He called Littlefeather and asked her to appear on his behalf . " I was a spokesperson , so to speak , for the stereotype of Native Americans in film and television , " she later said
45th Academy Awards
45th Academy Awards
Sacheen Littlefeather