Thomas Daschle: “My State of South Dakota is small in population but large in spirit. This is particularly true of the native American…”

“My State of South Dakota is small in population but large in spirit. This is particularly true of the native American population that calls South Dakota home. Indian people have blazed their way into American history in countless ways. Even their names convey poetry and magic: from great leaders like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Black Elk, to modern day role models like Billy Mills and Jim Thorpe. White Eagle--Wanblee Ska--was a Rosebud Sioux who soared on the wings of classical music. Last week, at his parents' home in Mission, SD, White Eagle died at the age of 43. In spite of his untimely death, he left a legacy that will live on for generations. In a State where country/western music is heard on most radios, White Eagle turned his natural gift for song into a polished operatic tenor talent. He sang for the inauguration of a President and at Carnegie Hall. Despite his relative youth, he had already been enshrined in the South Dakota Hall of Fame at the time of his death. Dennis Holub, director of the South Dakota Arts Council, says that White Eagle was 'the epitome of a great artist * * * [he] sang in some of the world's finest halls but also brought his songs home so South Dakotans could enjoy them, too.'”