The meaning behind 'Reservation Dogs' star's statement on Emmys red carpet

Oji-Cree First Nations actor and "Reservation Dogs" star D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai made a bold and meaningful statement at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

Making his Emmys carpet debut, Woon-A-Tai, 22, wore an Emporio Armani tuxedo paired with Thundercloud jewelry and a bright red handprint painted over his mouth.

According to the organization Native Hope, the red handprint symbolizes solidarity with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, bringing attention to the silence and violence faced by Indigenous women in North America.

According to Native Hope, Native American women "make up a significant portion of the missing and murdered cases" in North America, and thousands of these cases remain unsolved. The U.S. Justice Department states that Native Americans in general "face some of the highest rates of violence in the country, experiencing violent crime at higher rates than the national average," and "Native women and girls experience disproportionately high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence."

Woon-A-Tai, who was was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series at this year's Emmys, has frequently spoken out in support of Indigenous issues, posting about them on his various social media pages.

The actor has also spoken publicly about the need for more Indigenous representation and stories in media.

In an interview with Elle in May, Woon-A-Tai said he particularly wants to ensure storytellers get things right and "get Natives paid."

"I think we're pushing to a time when we don't need anybody to tell our story for us," he said at the time, adding that in addition to casting more Native actors, "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."

Earlier this summer, Woon-A-Tai also shared a statement with Variety on what "Reservation Dogs" -- in which he played Bear Smallhill -- has brought to his life, saying the FX series "taught me how important it is that we are the ones to tell our stories for us."

"Nobody should tell our stories on our behalf," he said at the time. "That's been going on for too long. We've had too much misrepresentation because of it."

"Reservation Dogs" follows four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, who resort to "stealing, scheming and saving" after the death of their friend Daniel "in order to fulfill his dream of getting to California," according to an official synopsis. In addition to Woon-A-Tai, the series stars Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Dallas Goldtooth, Gary Farmer, Elva Guerra and more.

The series is available to stream on Hulu.

You can check out a full recap and list of Emmy winners here.

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