Sure, the commercial was hokey — 40 years later, littering no longer rates as a notable environmental transgression, plus it starred an Italian-American actor, not a native one.

The ad appropriated Native culture. The “Crying Indian” ad effectively exploited American guilt over the historical treatment of Indigenous people in order to spur individuals into action.

Rights to famous ‘Crying Indian’ TV ad go to Native American group, which is retiring it The late actor Iron Eyes Cody became famous from a 1970s anti-pollution TV ad in which he wore Native ...

Keep America Beautiful announced that it will retire the “Crying Indian” ad, which made its first appearance in 1971, and transfer the rights to the National Congress of American Indians Fund.

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN It’s one of the most well-known public service announcements in American history. A Native American man in buckskin and braids canoes through a polluted river, past smoke ...