ANNIVERSARY
ISSUE
COVER
Using
Humour to Stop Teenage Suicide
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
Selected excerpts from
First Nations Drum Celebratory Issue
BIOGRAPHY
Acclaimed
Aboriginal Writer Passes Away
BUSINESS
Metis
Refuse Premier Doer Order of the Sash
GOVERNMENT
National
Chief Pleased with Meeting with Premiers, Territorial Leaders
HUMOUR
Bee in the Bonnet:
Bad
News from the Doctor
Who
Gives a Fish?
How to Beat a Woman
MUSIC
Here
to Stay: Thirty Years of Aboriginal Music
MODERN TREATIES
Supreme
Court Rejects Treaty Right to Log
Theresa
Ducharme: Globalizing Native Culture
By
Len
O'Connor
The
sense of determination and a 'never say die' attitude, is characteristic
of Theresa. She started modeling in Winnipeg in her teens, was very successful,
and moved to Edmonton to open her own agency. She established Mystique
Models, the first agency in Alberta for Native models. The agency had
a different premise than others.
"I wanted to help instill self- esteem in Native women. Modeling helps that way and even if you don't want to be a model it can help in the work place,'' Theresa explains.
She went the extra mile by going to reservations and making modeling available to girls who would normally never get that chance. Eventually she coordinated her services with a drug councilor and a nutritionist. She organized fashion shows for the girls to get a feel of what the fashion world was like and to inspire them to follow their dreams.
"Theresa likes to do positive things. She has a 'Let's make it happen attitude,'" remembers Melaine McCallum, a coordinator at Alberta Days.
Now
residing in Vancouver, Theresa has opened the Wild Horse Talent and Model
Agency, which is similar to her company in Edmonton, but with the expanded
agenda of finding roles in television and movies for Native actors. With
the success of Dances With Wolves and North of 60, doors are opening for
Native actors and producers.
"There's a demand for
Native talent and since I've developed a lot of good contacts, I think
I can help."
Theresa, a stunning brunette with a ton of charm, could easily work in
front of the camera. She's already booked for a Robbie Robertson music
video and will do a voice over in the Disney remake of Pocohantas.
"I will do whatever it takes to get to know the business of film, but I would like to eventually develop Native scripts and produce documentaries. The time has come for Native writers and actors to make their presence felt, we have stories that can only be told by own people and finally we have the chance make that statement. The opportunity is here and now and I hope to contribute in every way I can,'' says Theresa.