Obama tells tribal leaders, 'I hope I've done right by you'

President Obama told a gathering of hundreds of tribal nation representatives in Washington on Monday that he had done his best to fulfill his 2008 promise to be a champion for them and their causes.

“And I want everybody in this auditorium and all the folks back home in you respective communities to know that whole time I’ve heard you, I have seen you. And I hope I’ve done right by you,” Obama said. “And I hope I’ve set a direction that others will follow.”

The eighth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, Obama’s last, comes at a critical moment in relations between Native Americans and the federal government. The president was welcomed with a tribal honor song and a ceremonial blanket was draped around his shoulders, and Obama used the opportunity to recount steps he has taken to elevate the tribes’ role in federal decision-making. But the leaders want even greater input.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-tells-tribal-leaders-i-hope-ive-done-right-by-you/2016/09/26/86416cf4-8401-11e6-a3ef-f35afb41797f_story.html