'Reservation Dogs' actor makes powerful statement on Emmys red carpet

(KTLA) -- Actor D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai arrived on the red carpet of the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards wearing a red handprint painted over his mouth.

The symbol is known as the MMIW red hand. MMIW stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

"A red hand over the mouth has become the symbol of a growing movement, the MMIW movement. It 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," Native Hope explains on its website.

Woon-A-Tai is nominated for best lead actor in a comedy series for his role in "Reservation Dogs," which is the first nomination for the Canadian actor. The series is also nominated for best comedy series.

The show follows four Indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma who spend their time committing crimes so they can save up enough money to move to California.

The 22-year-old recently told Variety that "moving forward with other projects, especially Indigenous-centered projects, is that it has to be with an Indigenous writer and director."

"'Reservation Dogs' has 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. That’s been going on for too long. We’ve had too much misrepresentation because of it," he explained. "Moving forward, I am very much going to stick with telling Native stories through the Native lens."

The 2024 Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night.