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Tribal Leader: Obama 'First American Indian President'

Tribal Leader: Obama 'First American Indian President'


Barack Obama is already the country’s first black president, and he’s been called the first gay president. Now he has a new moniker: the first Native American President.

At a meeting with Native American leaders, Swinomish Nation Chairman Brian Cladoosby called Obama “the first American Indian president.” Cladoosby intoned:

Think about it for a second. The president loves basketball. He has an Indian name, he knows what it’s like to be poor and he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. And his theme song is “Hail to the Chief.” I think he definitely qualifies as the first American Indian president.

Obama boasted to the Native American leaders present about his accomplishments: “expanding economic opportunities” and a focus on anti-domestic violence. He also claimed he has supported Native American small businesses. “We’re going to keep working together to make sure that the promise of America is fully realized for every Native American,” he said.

Sonny Black Eagle, a leader in the Crow Nation who died recently, praised the president:

As Sonny went from being a father to a great-great-grandfather; and as he taught his family the Crow language and his community the Crow customs; as he became a living symbol of the perseverance of the entire Crow nation, Sonny stayed true to those fundamental values to cherish the Earth and each other, to honor ancestors and preserve traditions.
