'Iconic moment': Lily Gladstone hailed as she opens Golden Globes winning speech in Blackfeet language

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In an "important iconic moment," Lily Gladstone made history on Sunday night, January 7, 2023, as she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in 'Killers of the Flower Moon'.

Gladstone became the first Indigenous woman to ever win the accolade. She opened her emotional acceptance speech by speaking in the Blackfeet language of her ancestry before continuing in English to highlight the importance of the win for Indigenous people, as per Variety.

Lily Gladstone thanks Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio for being 'allies'

In an emotional acceptance speech, Gladstone first spoke briefly in the Blackfeet language, and then continued in English to thank her mother “who, even though she’s not Blackfeet, worked tirelessly to get our language into our classroom so I had a Blackfeet language teacher growing up.”

“I’m so grateful I can speak even a little bit of my language, which I’m not fluent in, up here," she said, adding, "Because, in this business, Native actors used to speak their lines in English, and the sound mixer would run them backwards to accomplish Native languages on camera.”

Gladstone said the win “doesn’t belong to just me” and that she was “holding it with all of my beautiful sisters in the film." She went on to thank director Martin Scorsese and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for "changing things" and being "such allies."

Lily Gladstone dedicates her Golden Globe win to Indigenous youth

Concluding her remarks, Gladstone dedicated the award to Indigenous youth, saying, “This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream and is seeing themselves represented in our stories told by ourselves, in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust from within, from each other.”

The Best Actress trophy caps a breakout year for Gladstone, who earned her first-ever Golden Globes nomination for playing Mollie Burkhart, the Osage wife of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) in the fact-based 1920s Western crime drama.

Scorsese's sprawling epic chronicles the 'Reign of Terror' targeting members of the oil-rich Osage Nation in Oklahoma, with Gladstone's Mollie being a central thread in unraveling the deadly scheme.

Internet hails Lily Gladstone's Golden Globe win

The internet erupted in celebration, acknowledging Gladstone's historic triumph at the Golden Globes. One X user emphasized the historic nature of her speech, stating, "Such an important iconic moment when Lily Gladstone spoke her Black Feet indigenous tongue in being honored as best actress."

Another resonated deeply with the representation, expressing, "Seeing Lily Gladstone winning the #GoldenGlobes, an indigenous sister getting her flowers. To hear those beautiful words, of an indigenous language on national TV. A language like my own. It's so..."

One user fervently boosted Gladstone's potential for an Oscar, affirming, "My Lily Gladstone Oscar campaign grows stronger by the day."

Amidst the excitement, another user saw her victory as a stepping stone, asserting, "Lily Gladstone is one step closer to the Oscar."

Highlighting the groundbreaking achievement, a supporter proudly declared, "Lily Gladstone makes history becoming the first Indigenous person to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress."

Echoing the sentiments of admiration, a user addressed Gladstone directly, expressing, "Lily Gladstone, you are a shining star!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.