White House opens doors to tribal leaders

From Indian Country Today. (this is an excerpt. Read the whole thing HERE).

WASHINGTON – When several tribal leaders trekked to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds Aug. 31, it represented one of the rare times in American history when a cross-section of tribes were invited by a sitting president’s staff to conduct official business.

Administration officials, eager to highlight the nation-to-nation philosophy that President Barack Obama has espoused regarding tribes and the federal government, said the meeting was a first step in enhancing relations with tribes.

Shin Inouye, a spokesman for the White House, would not say precisely how many tribal leaders were invited. He described the meeting as a couple of “informal discussions.”

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A gathering of tribal nations, which was promised by Obama during his campaign for president to be a yearly occurrence, is expected to take place sometime this fall, but the exact date has not yet been decided, Inouye said.

Details of what is to be achieved at the larger conference have not been released.

Attendees seemed generally satisfied with the proceedings. Some said it left them feeling inspired.

Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter attended the meeting and said tribal leaders spoke about sovereignty, taxation, land claims and other issues.

“We were pleased to have been asked to provide our input, and we were assured that the White House will engage in ongoing consultation.