Reservation Dogs' D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai Shares Powerful Message Arriving for First Emmy Nomination

Mar. 15, 2025

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is using his platform to send a powerful message at the 2024Emmy Awards.When theReservation Dogsstar, 22, made his red carpet debut at television’s biggest night on Sunday, Sept. 15, the actor made a big statement. Woon-A-Tai was photographed wearing an all-black suit and a red handprint painted over his mouth.D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.Gilbert Flores/Variety via GettyAccording toNative Hopewebsite, the symbolic print represents a message of solidarity for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The non-profit organization’s website explains that the painted hand “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.”At this year’s ceremony, Woon-A-Tai was nominated for his first Emmy Award for outstanding actor in a comedy series for his performance as Bear Smallhill inReservation Dogs. The Bearstar Jeremy Allen White won the award.The FX comedy follows a group of Indigenous teens in Oklahoma who want to make their way to California — and decide they’ll do anything to get the money, even if they have to steal it. The series is available to stream on Hulu.In an interview withVarietyin April, the actor opened up about how the series had taught him the gravity of true representation.“Reservation Dogshas taught me how important it is that we are the ones to tell our stories for us,” he told the outlet. “Nobody should tell our stories on our behalf. That’s been going on for too long. We’ve had too much misrepresentation because of it. Moving forward, I am very much going to stick with telling Native stories through the Native lens.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is using his platform to send a powerful message at the 2024Emmy Awards.

When theReservation Dogsstar, 22, made his red carpet debut at television’s biggest night on Sunday, Sept. 15, the actor made a big statement. Woon-A-Tai was photographed wearing an all-black suit and a red handprint painted over his mouth.

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

According toNative Hopewebsite, the symbolic print represents a message of solidarity for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The non-profit organization’s website explains that the painted hand “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.”

At this year’s ceremony, Woon-A-Tai was nominated for his first Emmy Award for outstanding actor in a comedy series for his performance as Bear Smallhill inReservation Dogs. The Bearstar Jeremy Allen White won the award.

The FX comedy follows a group of Indigenous teens in Oklahoma who want to make their way to California — and decide they’ll do anything to get the money, even if they have to steal it. The series is available to stream on Hulu.

In an interview withVarietyin April, the actor opened up about how the series had taught him the gravity of true representation.

“Reservation Dogshas taught me how important it is that we are the ones to tell our stories for us,” he told the outlet. “Nobody should tell our stories on our behalf. That’s been going on for too long. We’ve had too much misrepresentation because of it. Moving forward, I am very much going to stick with telling Native stories through the Native lens.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

source: people.com