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Jackie Bird, a renowned Native American singer, has performed on various world stages including the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Monday afternoon she performed several Native American songs and dances for elementary through high school students at Luverne Public Schools for the first time.
She also included the playing of the popular ’60s song, “Wipe Out,” with her son, Sheldon, leading the rapid drum solo with his hands beating on the cajon.
“I am so glad he used to bang on his high chair as a baby, he is so good,” Bird said.
Elementary students imitated the drum solo by patting their hands on their laps.
Bird’s visit and presentation in the performing arts center was the idea of the district’s Native American Parent Advisory Committee.
Sue Reisch serves on the committee and suggested Bird’s appearance in Luverne.
“I used to listen to her as a little girl while I was growing up in Luverne,” the LHS 2000 graduate said.
“(Bird’s performance Monday) made my heart happy to be a part of bringing some Native American culture to Luverne to share with students and staff.”
Reisch used the Lakota word, cantemawaste, which means “my heart is happy” to describe students’ reactions to Bird’s performance.
“Jackie did a wonderful job engaging the students with her laughter, love and light, all the while incorporating our song and dance,” Reisch said. “Overall, it was a message of healing and togetherness. It was beautiful.”
The parent advisory committee was organized late last year as a way to help Native American students in Luverne make a connection with their culture.
Reisch said such introductions were not a part of the Luverne curriculum 20 years ago when she was a student. She learned about the Lakota culture when she returned to her hometown of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, after earning a nursing degree in 2017.
She returned to Luverne this fall and became a member of the parent advisory committee.
Reisch will lead a beading class for interested students as part of the middle school-high flex program.
“In our culture, beadwork is a form of our art and culture,” she said. “A way to be creative and then you wear your art.”
Bird grew up in Pipestone, graduating from Flandreau Indian School. She makes her home in Brookings.
Her upbeat message to students Monday was a simple one: “We are all in this world together to work for world peace and world healing. Come out and enjoy life.”