Obama pledges to help Native Americans: ‘You will not be forgotten’

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President Obama told Native American tribal leaders this morning that they had a friend in the White House who would work to ensure that the federal government would now meet their needs.

“You will not be forgotten as long as I’m in this White House,” Obama said, kicking off a daylong White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Department of the Interior. Obama is scheduled to give closing remarks as well.

The conference will discuss issues including jobs, housing and healthcare. About 564 leaders of various tribes were scheduled to attend.

Obama acknowledged that the federal government had a history of making promises to Native Americans then failing to fulfill its word. The president said it took an “extraordinary leap of faith” for tribal leaders to come to Washington.

But Obama insisted his government will do better.

“We’re not going to go through the motions and pay tribute to each other, then furl up the flags and go our separate ways,” Obama said.

Obama asked Cabinet agencies to give him a detailed plan to improve the relationship between the government and tribal communities. He also appointed Kimberly Teehee to serve as senior policy advisor for Native American affairs within the Domestic Policy Council. Teehee is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

For an interesting look at the nation’s Native American policy, check out today’s story by my colleague Kate Linthicum about a federal ban on development that kept thousands of people on the Navajo reservation living in third-world conditions.

-- Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal

Photo:President Obama signs a memorandum for closer consultation between Native America tribes and federal government. Credit: AP.