List of Indigenous Academy Award winners and nominees

Yalitza Aparicio was nominated for her acting debut in 2018's Roma .

This is a list of Indigenous people who have won or been nominated for Academy Awards . It includes those of provable Indigenous descent regardless of whether they passed as white at the time of their nomination, such as Merle Oberon. ^[1]

Best Picture

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2019 (92nd)	Taika Waititi Chelsea Winstanley		Māori (Polynesian)	Jojo Rabbit	Nominated	Winstanley is the first Māori of Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous people to be nominated for Best Picture. Husband-wife team. Shared with Carthew Neal.	[2]

Best Actor

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2018 (91st)	Rami Malek		Coptic	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won	First Copt to be nominated for and to win an Academy Award.	[3] [4]

Best Actress

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2003 (76th)	Keisha Castle-Hughes		Māori (Polynesian)	Whale Rider	Nominated	Debut performance. First Māori of Tainui and Ngāpuhi descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. At the time of nomination, she was the youngest ever nominee in the category. She is the now the second youngest after Quvenzhané Wallis.	[5]
2018 (91st)	Yalitza Aparicio		Mixtec & Trique (Native Mexican)	Roma	Nominated	Debut performance. First North American Indigenous woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for acting.	[4]
2023 (96th)	Lily Gladstone		Piegan Blackfeet & Nez Perce (Native American)	Killers of the Flower Moon	Nominated	First Native American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award.	[6]

Best Supporting Actor

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestones/Notes	Ref.
1970 (43rd)	Chief Dan George		Tsleil-Waututh (First Nations)	Little Big Man	Nominated	First North American Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.	[7]
1990 (63rd)	Graham Greene		Oneida (First Nations)	Dances With Wolves	Nominated	First Oneida to be nominated for an Academy Award.	[8]

Best Supporting Actress

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestones/Notes	Ref.
1966 (39th)	Jocelyne LaGarde		Tahitian (Polynesian)	Hawaii	Nominated	The first and only actor to be nominated for their first and only film performance. First Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Tahitian to be nominated for an Academy Award.	[9]

Best Adapted Screenplay

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2019 (92nd)	Taika Waititi		Māori (Polynesian)	Jojo Rabbit	Won	First Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent to win an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for and to win Best Adapted Screenplay.	[10]

Best Original Score

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
1987 (60th)	Jonas Gwangwa		Northern Ndebele	Cry Freedom	Nominated	First African Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Original Score. Shared with George Fenton.	[11] [12]
2023 (96th)	Robbie Robertson		Cayuga & Mohawk (First Nations)	Killers of the Flower Moon	Nominated	First Cayuga and first Mohawk to be nominated for an Academy Award. Posthumous release.	[6]

Best Documentary Feature Film

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2024 (97th)	Julian Brave NoiseCat	/	Secwépemc (First Nations)	Sugarcane	Nominated	First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. Shared with Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn	[13]

Best Original Song

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Song	Status	Milestones/Notes	Ref.
1987 (60th)	Jonas Gwangwa		Northern Ndebele	Cry Freedom	"Cry Freedom"	Nominated	First African Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. Shared with George Fenton.	[11] [12]
2023 (96th)	Scott George		Osage Nation (Native American)	Killers of the Flower Moon	"Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)"	Nominated	First member of the Osage Nation to be nominated for an Academy Award.	[6] [14]

Best Production Design

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2012 (85th)	Ra Vincent		Māori (Polynesian)	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Nominated	First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Production Design. Shared with Dan Hennah and Simon Bright.	[15] [16]
2019 (92nd)				Jojo Rabbit	Nominated	Shared with Nora Sopková.	[15] [2]

Best Sound

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2001 (74th)	Hammond Peek		Māori (Polynesian)	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Nominated	First Māori of Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Sound. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Gethin Creagh.	[17] [18]
2002 (75th)				The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Nominated	Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	[17] [19]
2003 (76th)				The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Won	First Māori of Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa descent to win an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to win Best Sound. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	[17] [5]
2005 (78th)				King Kong	Won	First Indigenous person to win multiple Academy Awards. Most nominated Indigenous person, with four nominations. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	[17] [20]

Best Short Film, Live Action

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2004 (77th)	Taika Waititi Ainsley Gardiner		Māori (Polynesian)	Two Cars, One Night	Nominated	First Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. Gardiner is also the first Māori of Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Awa descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous people to be nominated for Best Short Film, Live Action.	[21]
2023 (96th)	Misan Harriman		Itsekiri	The After	Nominated	First Itsekiri to be nominated for an Academy Award. Shared with Nicky Bentham.	[22] [23]

Best Foreign Language Film

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
1987 (60th)	Nils Gaup		Sámi	Pathfinder	Nominated	First Arctic Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First European Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award, along with Sean Connery for The Untouchables . First Indigenous person to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.	[12]

Honorary Award

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2019 (92nd)	Wes Studi		Cherokee Nation (Native American)	First and only Indigenous person to be awarded an Honorary Award.	[24]

References

1. Lawrence, Andrew (2023-03-07). Viner, Katharine (ed.). "'She had to hide': the secret history of the first Asian woman nominated for a best actress Oscar". The Guardian . eISSN   1756-3224. ISSN   0261-3077. OCLC   60623878 . Retrieved 2023-12-01. Her mother, believed to have been of Sri Lankan and Māori ancestry, was just 14 when she gave birth in 1911. After centuries of intermixing, babies born from biracial relationships had evolved into a quiet shame – shunned by Britons and Indians alike.
2. "2020 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
3. Gross, Terry (2018-11-21). "'You Better Own This': How Rami Malek Came To Embody Freddie Mercury". NPR . Retrieved 2024-03-13.
4. "2019 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
5. "2004 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2004-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
6. Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (23 January 2024). "Oscar Nominations 2024: 'Oppenheimer' Dominates With 13 Nods, 'Poor Things' Follows With 11". Variety. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
7. "1971 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 1971-04-15. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
8. "1991 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 1991-03-25. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
9. "1967 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 1967-04-10. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
10. Brown, Tracy (10 February 2020). "Taika Waititi makes Oscars history as first Maori Academy Award winner". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 18 February 2020.
11. Ledwaba, Lucas (2021-01-29). "How Jonas Gwangwa used his music to preserve his mother tongue". Mail & Guardian . Retrieved 2024-03-15.
12. "1988 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 1988-04-11. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
13. "This WA filmmaker is making Oscars history". The Seattle Times. 2025-02-27. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
14. Maupin, Jennifer (23 January 2024). "'Killers of the Flower Moon' nominated for 10 Oscars". KJRH. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
15. Ligia (2020-02-14). "Ka whiti mai te rā!". Library Blog. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
16. "2013 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
17. "Double Oscar Winner". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
18. "2002 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2002-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
19. "2003 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2003-03-23. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
20. "2006 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2006-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
21. "2005 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2005-02-27. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
22. "Misan Harriman: Nigerian who played a role in Prince Harry, Meghan love story". P.M. News . 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16. Harriman was born in Calabar, in 1977. He is the son of Chief Hope Harriman, the colourful Itsekiri chief, who died in 2012 at the age of 79.
23. "2024 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
24. Bahr, Linsey (26 October 2019). "Wes Studi to make Oscars history for Native American actors". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-08-29.