Reservation Dogs’ star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai wore a red hand-print over his mouth for the 2024 Emmys, here's why
Lead actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai who played Bear Smallhill in Reservation Dogs took to the Emmys red carpet in a tux with a red hand-print over his mouth
Emmy-nominated Reservation Dogs, an American comedy-drama television series, follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma as they spend their days thieving to reach their goals. Lead actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai who played Bear Smallhill in the show recently took to the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards' red carpet in a classic Emporio Armani tuxedo accessorised with a stark, red hand-print over his mouth.
Woon-A-Tai’s stylist Avo Yermagyan confirmed that the styling was purposefully kept minimal to draw attention to the nationwide scourge of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW). “The restrained styling puts the focus on the red palm print, hand-painted by groomer Martha Phelan,” Yermagyan said to Vogue.
The symbolic move represented his solidarity with the Indigenous communities of Canada and USA, bringing focus to the increasing rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women across both countries. According to the Native Hope organisation, “A red hand over the mouth has become the symbol of a growing movement, the MMIW movement. It stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis. It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters.” Urban Indian Health Institute reports the youngest MMIW victim was a baby less than one year old and the oldest victim was an 83-year-old.
The Emmy-winning actor has been quite outspoken about highlighting more Indigenous stories in Hollywood, starting with Reservation Dogs which aired its final season earlier this year. “I think we’re pushing to a time when we don’t need anybody to tell our story for us. If you want to make a story regarding Native people, it should definitely be mandatory, in my opinion, to have a Native director, Native writer, and Native casting director,” he said to Elle in an old interview.
