RIP Wilma Pelly

 

Canadian Indigenous actress Wilma Pelly, who was best known for her role as Elsie Tsa Che on the CBC TV series North of 60, died in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on December 28, 2020. Her family says the 83-year-old leaves a legacy of hard work and perseverance. Born Wilma Episkenew in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada, on March 5, 1937, Pelly was a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation. Pelly enjoyed a 25-year career with projects involving Sidney Poitier, Steven Spielberg. A background role in the film “Between Heaven and Earth” was Pelly's first foray into acting, and her career expanded to include parts in the 1995 TV miniseries “Children of the Dust” with Sidney Poitier; the Steven Spielberg-produced 2005 miniseries “Into the West”; and the second season of the FX series “Fargo”. Pelly appeared in two Euro-westerns: as a Nonna Indian in “Il mio West” (aka Gunslinger’s Revenge) 1998 and as Old Multnomah in the 2003 TV film ‘DreamKeeper’.