A family from the Mescalero Apache tribe is suing the producers of a Steven Spielberg TV series for cutting their daughter's hair for the show.
The family said the hair of Christina Ponce, aged eight, was cut without regard for their tribal customs. It was cut to make her look more 'Indian' and like a male Indian child because the movie casting call failed to produce sufficient young male extras of Indian heritage.
"It's part of our culture not to cut a girl's hair until her Coming of Age ceremony," her father Danny Ponce said.
"The only ones allowed to do that are the parents." His daughter had been acting in mini-series Into the West.
Mr Ponce added that "nobody asked for permission" before a stylist cut Christina's hair. He said he had filed his claim in the US District Court in Albuquerque.
