Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Denver, Colo.- Kelly Holmes was 20 years old and unable to get regular jobs as a fashion model, she felt, because of her Native American heritage. She was told on occasion that her looks were too exotic or that her skin was too brown.

It wasn't the only time she felt out of place. Originally from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Reservation, when Kelly's family moved to Denver, she was suddenly a rarity in school instead of one of many Lakota students. To overcome the awkwardness, she poured her focus into any aspects of fashion. That's when she started modeling and learned...