The Meaning Behind D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s Red Carpet Statement at the 2024 Emmy Awards

Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai made history with his nomination for outstanding actor in a comedy series at tonight’s 2024 Emmy Awards, becoming the first Indigenous actor ever to be nominated in the ceremony’s leading acting category. It was a powerful milestone—and Woon-A-Tai was sure to bring an equally powerful statement to the red carpet before the ceremony. He walked the the step-and-repeat in a classic Armani suit, with jewelry by Indigenous designer Lionel Thundercloud—but it was the red handprint painted onto his face that was the true focal point.

The meaning behind the red handprint, Woon-A-Tai’s stylist Avo Yermagyan confirms to Vogue, was drawing attention to the scourge of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW). The red handprint symbol—and, more generally, the color red—has become a popular symbol for the growing MMIW epidemic, as Indigenous women continue to be disproportionally affected by violence across North America. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice, for example, found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have faced violence in their lifetime; and according to a more recent study from the Urban Indian Health Institute, homicide is the third-leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women aged 10 to 24.

Photo: Getty Images