Sacheen Littlefeather’s legacy has been called into question by her family.
After the actress, model and Native American civil rights activist died at age75 earlier this month, Littlefeather’s two sisters claimed that she lied abouther indigenous ancestry and was previously known by the family as “Deb” in abombshell interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s a lie,” Trudy Orlandi said of her sister. “My father was who he was. Hisfamily came from Mexico. And my dad was born in Oxnard.”
RELATED: Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American Activist Who RefusedOscar for Marlon Brando, Dead at 75
Littlefeather’s other sister Rosalind Cruz added: “It is a fraud. It’sdisgusting to the heritage of the tribal people. And it’s just … insulting tomy parents.”
Littlefeather, who claimed to belong to the White Mountain Apache and Yaquitribes on her father’s side, rose to infamy in 1973 at the 45th AcademyAwards, where she turned down the Oscar for Best Actor on behalf of MarlonBrando, in protest of the film industry’s treatment of Native Americans.
Sacheen Littlefeather (Native American actress Maria Cruz) holds a writtenstatement from actor Marlon Brando refusing his Best Actor Oscar on stage atthe Academy Awards on March 27, 1973 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Ochs Archvies/Getty
In addition to being threatened with judgment if her speech went over 60seconds, as well as alleged physical violence from John Wayne, who she claimedattempted to storm the stage, Littlefeather faced public mockery over theyears for the historic television moment.
In 1990, Littlefeather told PEOPLE of the fallout she faced in response to herOscars moment. “I’m officially retired as the refuser of Academy Awards,” shesaid, noting that the speech killed her career in Hollywood.
RELATED: Sacheen Littlefeather Receives Apology from Academy forTreatment at 45th Oscars: Inside the Powerful Event
“I went up there thinking I could make a difference,” Littlefeather explained.”I was very naive. I told people about oppression. They said, ‘You’re ruiningour evening.'”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences offered Littlefeather anapology in August for the mistreatment she faced nearly 50 years before. Sheaccepted the apology and was honored onstage during an event last month at theAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Story continues
From left, Aurora Mamea, Sacheen Littlefeather and Jonathan Lucero attend aceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Native American occupationof Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Bestknown for refusing to accept the Oscar for Academy Award-winning actor MarlonBrando on his behalf in 1973, Littlefeather briefly occupied the island alongwith Lucero.
Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
Littlefeather died from metastasized breast cancer on Sunday, Oct. 2 at herhome in Marin County, Calif., surrounded by friends and family.
“Littlefeather dedicated her life to the health and wellness of Native peopleeverywhere,” read a press release at the time. “She was known for her sense ofhumor, quick wit, and fierce advocacy for Native American and Indigenouscommunities.”
Cruz and Orlandi came forward to restore their parents’ reputation, asLittlefeather is “being venerated as a saint” after claiming her father was aviolent alcoholic who abused them and their white mother.
RELATED VIDEO: Sacheen Littlefeather Says 1973 John Wayne Incident Was ‘MostViolent Moment’ in Oscars History
Orlandi said it “infuriates me” that she lied about having a violent andimpoverished upbringing, which she actually stole from their father’schildhood experience.
“My father was deaf, and he had lost his hearing at 9 years old throughmeningitis,” Cruz said. “He was born into poverty. His father, George Cruz,was an alcoholic who was violent and used to beat him. And he was passed tofoster homes and family. But my sister Sacheen took what happened to him.”
Never miss a story — sign up for ** PEOPLE ‘s free daily newsletter** to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicycelebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
the Chronicle found family records in Mexico going back to 1850, everyoneidentified as either white or Mexican since 1880. Additionally, the WhiteMountain Apache tribe had no enrollment records for Littlefeather or anyfamily members, living or dead.
Orlandi added: “The best way that I could think of summing up my sister isthat she created a fantasy. She lived in a fantasy, and she died in a